Sports/Olympics / Motor Racing

Carpenter out of hospital after fatal crash
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-03-28 09:11

NEW YORK, March 27 - IndyCar race driver Ed Carpenter, whose spin into the wall at Homestead-Miami Speedway precipitated Sunday's crash that killed driver Paul Dana, was released from hospital on Monday.

Carpenter left Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami in good condition with a bruised lung, according to Dr. Henry Bock, senior director of medical services for Indy Racing League.

Carpenter, 25, was not yet cleared to run in Sunday's race at St. Petersburg, an IRL spokesman said.

Dana, 30, slammed into the rear of Carpenter's car at about 200 mph (322 kph) after Carpenter had spun, hit the wall in Turn 2 and slid back down the racetrack during warm-ups before the IRL's season-opening race.

Both drivers were airlifted by helicopter from the track to the downtown hospital, where Dana was later pronounced dead.

Despite the shock of the fatal accident that left pieces of both open-wheel race cars strewn over the track, the race was held and won by IRL series champion Dan Wheldon.

Dana's fellow drivers on the Rahal-Letterman team, Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice, pulled out of the race.

"Paul Dana's passing is a terrible tragedy and I want to express my condolences and sympathies to his family and friends," said team co-owner David Letterman, a TV talk show host who became a racing fan growing up in Indianapolis.

"I did not know Paul personally but we were all proud to have him on our team and are deeply saddened by his tragic passing at such a young age."

CAUTION LIGHTS

Racing officials were unable to explain the fatal accident since yellow caution lights went on across the track right after Carpenter's spin and some five seconds before Dana's Honda-powered Panoz smashed into the stalled Dallara-Honda.
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