Man Dies At Fastimes Indoor Karting (Indy)

Wow, that's crazy. Terrible news....

 

RIP.....

surely something odd happened... I've done my share of karting, and while getting hit by a kart goign 20mph +- into you hurts... but that's a pretty terrible outcome!

 

Jeez, what happened? Did the seatbelt cut into his neck or something?

I can't help but wondering if something like this could happen at GPNY sometime...

 

RIP

 

RIP

 

How we all take our lifes for granted and it can all end in a moment. RIP our prayers are with that family.

 

i remember someone almost flipped over on that same turn during the fchat kart outing last year.

 

Here are a few different video clips of the turn that Nick and Palmer desrcibed. These are from last years Fchat outing.

http://media.putfile.com/Kart01-54
http://media.putfile.com/Kart02
http://media.putfile.com/Kart03

 

Hi Palmer and Chris. Was there ever any more local info on this accident. Did the glass brake and cut him or was it impact? Is the place still open?

Just have a 3 day project coming up over by Newcastle and thought I'd take a crew there for the evening.

 

A few slightly different versions floating around with the news. The last one where they released the person's name, stated the kart flipped and the driver struck his neck on the railing. No mention of lacerations. Other reports mention the plexi wall breaking and neck lacerations. All reports state he died at the scene. All reports stated it was a freak accident. Thougts go out to the family, friends, coworkers and those that were at Fastimes when it all happened.

Not sure the staus of being open is... http://www.fastimesindoorkarting.com/ or phone (317) 566-0066.

I was sitting in the window at the top turn and watched Palmer take it on 2 wheels. He wasn't real thrilled with that one!

Unfortunate accident. I look forward to going to Fastimes again.

 

update from a friend...

No worries on the Karting. They're open right now for racing. I also heard several legal experts comment that unless it could be shown that something on the kart failed which caused the crash, the family of the deceased has little legal ground for a lawsuit, especially based on the fact that every driver is required to sign a waiver acknowledging the dangers of racing, and relieving Fast Times from liability due to injury or death, which this driver signed.


From all witness accounts and police report of the accident, it simply appears the driver was going too fast, and also had a one in a million collision where his neck happened to impact a railing support, and at just the right (or wrong, as the case may be) angle and speed to snap his neck. As all of us who have raced there can attest, those freaking helmets are so big and coupled with the required neck protector, and tight seat harness, it definitely was a freak accident that his neck was able to be exposed enough to be impacted so dramatically.


The Star did a nationwide search of indoor karting incidents and could find only two deaths in the last 5 years, and both of those were due to heart attacks while racing, but not a single incident of a crash causing death, further bolstering the freak accident theory. So unless new evidence turns up regarding the kart, I think it's safe to assume Fast Times will be open.

 

well thats nice to know that parents of deceased have no legal ground for a lawsuit....i guess we can all go back to racing go carts...and the heck to he who gets hurts,or in this case killed...wow...nice statement fellow...................

 

Historical litigation regarding wrongful death suites is fresh on my mind. In California, they determined that the passenger in Ben Keaton's CGT that crashed into a "new" barrier that not only was Ben Keaton's estate held liable, but also the race track.... regardless of wavers that had been signed... as the court decided that the design of the track was negligent... as was Ben's driving... beyond what the wavers could have suggested.

 

I apologize if the message I cut-n-pasted into the post offended. Not intended to at all. It was a very unfortunate accident and I have stated in other areas that my thoughts go out to the family, friends, coworkers and witnesses of this accident. The reason for the update is to provide information to those that are concerned with what happened and what may happen in regards to Fastimes. A post above asked if they will be open. Just becuase a person dies, does not mean the rest of us die with them. We all have to go on and hopefully be a little wiser by learning from the errors of others. Someone, somewhere, driving a car dies today...do you want us all to give up driving cars? I doubt it.

Due the parents/family have ground for a lawsuit? Talk to a lawyer. I'm sure there's one out there that can make anything stick.

The right lawyer digging to find the right evidence can get settlements. Its what they do for a living. Waivers don't mean much in the US. Mostly to get people to think, "I signed a waiver, so I guess I'm stuck."

 

The weight of a cart pivoting on the neck would kill anyone. You can't prevent a free moving vehicle from tipping over. As a child I had a 3 wheeled ATV partially crush me - it's scary how fast fun can become deadly (good to remember in our F cars!).

Sad that this happened

 

they have roll bars
I think the neck made direct contact with the rail or whatever he hit

 

Wow, they have roll bars? That makes this even more of a freak accident...

 

They have hoops directly behind the seat that reach above the helmet. The kart in the accident was shown on the news. The rollbar was bent backwards at an angle and the steering support was bent as well. To do the damage shown, there was a serious impact.

 

I'm almost positive somebody used his kart as a brake... it's happened to me a few times at K2K... and it hurts... a lot... and I'm thinking thats how the kart ended up off it's base...

 

That makes sense.

I was at a ghetto establishment in Orlando. My car stalled & some ******* slammed into me at full speed. He was laughing, while my neck hurt for the following month.

 

I have not read anything like this as being a cause, so you may be speculating, BUT if so, can you imagine what it would feel like to be the other guy in this case?

 

I doubt that
yould have to race there to understand
if someone hit himhe would likely just spin or skid

one guy we were with got up on two wheels. If you turn to sharp into the turn as this happens you can flip, OR while you are on two wheels you then get hit, but there simply isnt enough room to get another kart in to hit you at the place and speed into the turn needed to get on two wheels.

 

No, you are right.... I am simply speculating.

However, if somebody slows down, turns in... and is on 2 wheels as you say, then somebody else takes the inside line w/out using the brake,s and hits him @ full speed.... that makes much more sense.