IZOD IndyCar Series driver Simona de Silvestro was involved in a horrifying crash during a practice session ahead of the centennial Indianapolis 500 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. De Silvestro was on her 7th lap of the session when sparks were seen trailing the No. 78 HVM Nuclear Clean Air Energy car entering Turn 3 of the 2.5-mile oval speedway, caused probably by a suspected mechanical failure of its rear suspension. As a result the car while being in full speed, crashed heavily twice with the catch fence in Turn 4 before becoming airborne twice and landed inverted while on fire.
The Swiss driver managed to get out of the car on her own without major injuries but she has been transported to the nearby Methodist Hospital for evaluation and treatment for the second-degree burns on her right hand and light burns on her left hand.
HVM team owner Keith Wiggins reported:
"I'm on my way to the hospital to see Simona. She's got some burns. It was obviously a nasty crash. There's nothing left of it. You can basically put the whole thing in a trash container."
De Silvestro was released later in the afternoon, and commented:
“It is my goal to get back in the car as quickly as I can. For any race car driver it’s important to get right back in the car. If you step out of it, you’ll always think about it and think whether it was the right decision. I think when I go out there again I’ll enjoy it. It will be (INDYCAR’s medical team’s) decision and also mine because it’s pretty shocking...
Something broke on the rear suspension and when that happens you’re just a passenger. You can’t really do anything about it, especially when you’re going about 220 mph. I hit the wall and it took forever to land it seemed, and then it started getting pretty hot out there (because of flames). It was pretty shocking actually, especially to be on fire. It’s kind of weird because the fuel is splashing on you and you don’t really know what to do. A lot of things go through your head, but you want to get out of the car as quickly as possible.
I was pretty shocked, but I can say I’m lucky to be here. It just shows how safe the car is. I don’t think a crash like that in any other car I would be standing here... I can move my hands, but it is pretty tight because it pulls the skin. It will hurt a lot. Luckily, on an oval it’s not as physical as a road course.”
The 2010 Chase Rookie of the Year for the Indy 500 is actually lucky to survive after such impact and although the strict safety standards of Dallara chassis, her accident was a strong reminder to all the Indy 500 competitors how much dangerous the track is and a reminiscent to Tony Kanaan's unabated Turn 3 crash in 2009 and Takuma Sato's and Mike Conway's accidents during the 2010 Indy 500.
