Death at Driving Experience

ItlngrlBella

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
ScoutN said:
And I also fully feel the racing world currently has much better coverage of this terrible tragedy. I feel for the family of him and his friends. He was well known all around.

http://speed51.com/friends-remember-gary-terryfamily-driver-instructor/
Click to expand...


That article was penned by Kevin Ramsell who's from here in Wisconsin - he's an old friend of my husband from their DECA college days - he's a really good guy and covered that well with regards to honoring his memory and empathic to the family.
 
Last edited:
janoimagine

janoimagine

Well-Known Member
ford91exploder said:
What was the Veyron like to drive?, I tend to drive things geared very low where when you depress the accelerator the road moves back...
Click to expand...

Scary ... to be honest ... not because of the power, (which was unreal) ... but because of the cost of each car, they were upwards of 2.2 million each ... we had 3 of them for a shoot ... we had to underwrite special coverage for each because we (I wasn't driving, I was producing, we had the guys from Shelly Ward hired for the driving, but I indulged anyways) were doing precision driving on an Airfield out near Mojave for a piece for Bugatti ... I can honestly say I have never experienced anything like it ... the shift patterns, control and the acceleration ... it just grabs like nothing else. The faster you go, the more planted it feels, I took it up to 190, but the cars top speed is I think 230 or 250 ... and at those speeds, turns come up very fast ... Visibility sucks in the car to be honest and the interior is on the noisy side.

I think Reliable Transport had the scariest job of all ... the guy had 3 of these things in his hauler... to the tune of like 7 million.
 
jheltz27

jheltz27

Member
R W B said:
Yes this is tragic but you know what you sign up for, even for instructors. I also don't know why so many people are against this track and this event, I personally think it's a great attraction! Its definitly sad this person lost their life today but accidents happen (I just buried a 29yr old friend Yesterday who was taken far too early in a freak accident).

To my knowledge this is the first death ever at this track and the previous worst accident happen in a professional IRL race which left the driver paralyzed, even the pros have accidents.

I attended the inaugural IRL Grand Prix of Louisiana today and idk how many cautions they had. I understand the argument some of you all have about the safety of the exotics which is no where near as close as the nascar but don't forget these are street legal cars and approved by the DOT.

Hopefully I'll be behind the wheel of one of these cars this summer, I'll post vids of so!
Click to expand...
Same here on both counts. As I was leaving the Grand Prix (my 1st auto race) I started to get even more excited about my 6 laps in a Ferrari on this very track in 6 weeks. Then I saw the news. Very tragic for all involved obviously but I sure hope they don't close early. This is my early 40th birthday present.
 
KCheatle

KCheatle

Well-Known Member
TheRabbit said:
Wow, love the lawyer talk! :) But, it turns out that the guest who paid for the experience was the one driving when the accident occured, and I'm not sure that the professional driver in the passenger seat (his family) is going to/able to sue since this was his job and the risks were known. Then again, people sue for everything in this day and age.
Click to expand...
That's exactly right! I tell clients all the time that I can't prevent a lawsuit from being filed, but I can make it go away quickly if one is.

Again, I don't know what the agreement was between the employer and the employee, but even with an assumption of risk clause, you can't ever write your way out of willful, wanton or grossly negligent conduct. I'd be surprised if that's found here, but I've been surprised before. You just never know??
 
D

DisneyCane

Well-Known Member
Nubs70 said:
I see detrimental reliance. On the surface, it looks like the instructor felt opposite direction was "safe" and allowed the driver to proceed.
Click to expand...

I think this is how they run all the time on the exotic experience.

I almost wonder if, as the driver accelerated out of the turn, he accidentally hit the paddle shift and downshifted while flooring it causing the loss of control. There was certainly no reason for a lot of steering input at that point.
 
unkadug

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
Nubs70

Nubs70

Well-Known Member
KCheatle said:
That's exactly right! I tell clients all the time that I can't prevent a lawsuit from being filed, but I can make it go away quickly if one is.

Again, I don't know what the agreement was between the employer and the employee, but even with an assumption of risk clause, you can't ever write your way out of willful, wanton or grossly negligent conduct. I'd be surprised if that's found here, but I've been surprised before. You just never know??
Click to expand...
Allowing the customer to drive the opposite direction around the track is not grossly negligent conduct?
 
Foltzy

Foltzy

Well-Known Member
Such a sad story and a true tragedy


I'm quite sad with the decision to close the Driving Experince, being a few years away to try.
Still got Daytona though.
 
KCheatle

KCheatle

Well-Known Member
Nubs70 said:
Allowing the customer to drive the opposite direction around the track is not grossly negligent conduct?
Click to expand...
Is that what actually happened? I hadn't read that this was confirmed. Either way, not sure whether it'd be negligent, and if so, whether it would be grossly negligent? It may meet a negligence standard (assuming there isn't a justifiable explanation), but gross negligence is a pretty high standard to meet.
 
Last edited:
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
KCheatle said:
Is that what actually happened? I hadn't read that this was confirmed. Either way, not sure whether it'd be negligent, and if so, whether it would be grossly negligent? It may meet a negligence standard (assuming there isn't a justifiable explanation), but gross negligence is a pretty high standard to meet.
Click to expand...

Yes, FHP confirmed it.
 
P

peachykeen

Well-Known Member
Just to be clear, the Exotic Driving Experience has, every time I have been there or seen them go by, been run clockwise. It wasn't a choice that the instructor suddenly made that day, and it also wasn't the driver accidentally going the wrong way.

I'm not defending the choice to drive counter-course, but it was their standard practice.
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
peachykeen said:
Just to be clear, the Exotic Driving Experience has, every time I have been there or seen them go by, been run clockwise. It wasn't a choice that the instructor suddenly made that day, and it also wasn't the driver accidentally going the wrong way.

I'm not defending the choice to drive counter-course, but it was their standard practice.
Click to expand...
Corey P said:
That is odd running the wrong way around the track. Wonder if it actually slows you down running in that direction as opposed to the other way??? I can't really think of why you want to go against the way the track was built for except to slow the drivers down but that's not how tracks work usually. I'm going to have to take a look at the track layout in some detail. Just an odd thing to do.

Looking at the track clockwise is a little safer then counterclockwise wise. Counterclockwise you would have a chance to build up more speed into a tighter corner then going the other way, in the opposite you would hit the tighter corner at much less speed.

Still odd.
Click to expand...

Same point I'm trying to make. The tracks course takes it that way. Thats what they have run since it started, based on what everyone has posted. So its not specifically "going the wrong way" rather the track's path takes them towards unprotected guardrails.

The better question that needs to be asked is why they had an unprotected guardrail sticking out like that.
 
GhostHost1000

GhostHost1000

Premium Member
and another question to ask is why Walt Disney World has a speedway to begin with especially near the entranceway to the magic kingdom. (how magical)....but that's a topic for another day

Thoughts and prayers to those involved
 
Last edited:
unkadug

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
PhotoDave219 said:
Same point I'm trying to make. The tracks course takes it that way. Thats what they have run since it started, based on what everyone has posted. So its not specifically "going the wrong way" rather the track's path takes them towards unprotected guardrails.

The better question that needs to be asked is why they had an unprotected guardrail sticking out like that.
Click to expand...
And how there hasn't been an OSHA investigation of these dangers before now.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom