Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Before anyone gets the wrong idea...I do NOT think Westbrook is a bozo or any other derogatory name being used in this thread as I believe his insurance company may have a hand in the decision to got forward with the suit to recover costs incurred.

I wish this had not happened...I was not present the night of the wreck...did not see what happened on the track or know what the car hit after it left the racing surface.

All I know is this is not the first car to exit the ball park in turns 1-2 at the Grove...and the severity of each injury is not always apparent by watching a car take flight...it is the way the car stops flipping that often delivers injury moreso than the way it begins.

Metal seats attached to metal frame rails with little or cushion to absorb Gs is a key subject that not discussed as much as it should be IMO.

But I am just a guy who has $15 to get in the gate...no extra cash for a car, driver's suit or a law suit for that matter.

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May

Doty was a racing accident.   Wolfgang was burned due to negligence on the part of the race track and the WoO for not ensuring an adequate safety crew.     Wolfgang gave Ted Johnson plenty of opportunities to resolve the problem in exchange for dropping the lawsuit.   Ted chose not to resolve the problem.  

When Wolfgang had his last bad crash at Tri-City, no one was sued becuase there was no negligence.  It was a racing deal.

Ben T

"If you're gonna run the bottom, you might as well get 
a real job."

Westbrook will win, just as did Wolfgang in Sprints as well as Herm Petersen and Kenny Logan in Drag Racing.  Jurors no longer accept "assumption of risk" as a defense.  Additionally, having sat on two jury trials, most jurors find lawsuits as a way to "get even" with the insurance companies for high premiums.  One person actually made the statement to the effect that by awarding a high dollar amount to a plantiff, we (the jury) were punishing the insurance companies for charging us too much and for making too much money.  I know, her logic was convoluted.  Juries no longer look at right and wrong, guilt or innocence, but at how can we screw the people with the money. 

class warfare

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May

Exactly Ben. The only comparison is Wolfgang's situation. Track negligence. 

The guy gets hurt at a track...

The guy continues to run a car at said track...

 The guy sues for 6 million...

The guy is an ASSCLOWN, with apologies to BOZO........Insurance company notwithstanding.........

A reminder that Westbrook wasnt the only one to go out over the turn 1 fence.  Remember Zeller's ride?

http://www.onedirt.com/news/video-discovery-channel-highlights-scary-sprint-crash-at-the-grove/

Yea, but Zellers didn't sew!!!!!  one's a racer, and one's a BUM!!!

The guy with the video camera is more lucky than the driver on that one. Bet he own's a GoPro or two now.....

ding ding ding, we have a winner! Excellent post!

Also who says you can't get hurt WITH a catch fence or higher guardrail that will keep your car on the track, increasing the odds of getting hit by another car? That's how most fatalities happen. It's usually safer to leave the park than to get thrown back onto the track into the path of oncoming cars.

A

Let me get this straight. If I drive my car off the highway into a ditch and get injured I can sue the highway dept. for millions of dollars because they didn't have a catch fence to keep me from going in the ditch? I'll have to keep that in mind. I agree that most peope probably would sue in Westbrooks situation when you have a lawyer telling you that you can get millions. Does that make it right? NO! Common sense tells me that this case should have been thrown out as soon as the defense brought up the point that the plaintiff still owns a car that STILL races at Williams Grove Speedway! I wouldn't be too shocked if he won though but that would be sad day for dirt track racing fans all over the country. Most tracks are struggling to get by as it is and this would just make insurance more costly and harder to get. More tracks would undoubtedly go under.

A

John Westbrook should be ashamed of himself, As everyone has already said, Johns injuries are awful life changing injuries that can not be reversed. but......

1. John raced at Williamsgrove many times before this happened, he knew there was no catch fence and if he went over the rail it could be dangerous, he accepted the risk and raced anyway.

2. There is no way to prove that a catch fence would have made any difference in relation to his injuries, only speculation.

3. Since the time of his injury he has continued to put his money into a car that races on the same track with the same risks involved, He is aware that he is putting Broc Zearfoss in the same danger that he was in when he had his accident. this may be the most twisted part of this whole case. John is so sick that he continues to put his driver on a track that he is suing for 6 million dollars because its unsafe? are you kidding me?

4. He signed a waiver that released the track from any liability in case he was injured while racing at the track. The track includes the pits, the racing surface, and even the place where he landed.

5. John needs money to pay his medical bills but somehow has the funds to field a Sprintcar weekly.

This is borderline insanity, and the ripple effect if he wins this case could possibly destroy the sport we all enjoy. Im shocked that anyone believes this guy deserves a penny from Williamsgrove, but sadly he will probably win somthing and its disgusting. If i owned Williamsgrove he would be banned fromthe premises for fear of his dri9ver getting hurt and trying to sue again. Lost all respect for John Westbrook and im sure the "fans" will let him know it.

no difference between doty and wolfgang eldora watered the track and it wasnt run in all the way on the bottom and  caused brads crash hell you can ask doug that he was  in that crash also. hell if doug dosent hit the infield tire and break his steering he would not have gotten hurt.  only thing im sayin is if you dont want to accept what might happen dont become a racecar driver   

Exactly what I am trying to say.

+1

No. Not what I meant and you know it. Glad all you people from PA are saints and never sue anyone, ever. Shame on all of you toughguys who are calling him names....spend a day or even a minute in his shoes. It is his RIGHT to sue. 

Did it even remotely cross your minds that something good may come of this....like maybe the Grove making the place safer and acting like it's 2014 and not 1970 anymore. Na, probably too much to think about at one sitting.

Bet if this had happened to Rahmer, Hodnett, etc, you'd be singing a different tune.

As someone stated before, the waivers aren't worth anything.  Others have sued and won after signing waivers.  I am very curious to hear his response about how the car he owns still races at the track though.  If its unsafe... why still race there?  His lawyer is arguing not just about a fence, but if the area outside of 1 and 2 was leveled off and not had a drop, it would have prevented his injuries.  Usually tracks have to be forced to improve safety measures at their facility.  Lastly, this trial is in front a jury and juries can be very unpredictable.  It'll be interesting to watch.

Holden,

If you drove your car off into a ditch and got paralyzed you could absolutely sue.  Would you?  I dont know you, so I cant say.  With that said, you'd probably have a heck of case if people knew it was an unsafe portion of the road and had complained to the DOT about why there wasn't guard rail to protect cars from going into the ditch.  You might even win.  

On a unrelated note, people that are calling him a bum or an assclown (really?) are pretty disgusting.

Bingo!  and a jury of people who I am sure are not familiar with sprint car racing.  There are so many variables about this whole thing.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he still runs a car there after all this AND that WG lets him do it!  Crazy.  I wish him the best.

Why is everyone assuming a catch fence would have made any difference? Maybe he would have been killed if a catch fence was there. Maybe the steep drop off had nothing to do with his injuries, no one knows and especially no one on this forum.

To Larsonfan, why are you so angry? take a pill. Nothing good is gonna come from this, westbrook and hundreds of other racers have the choice to race or not race at Willimasgrove, if its so unsafe and stuck in the 1970's, why would anyone race there? But year after year Drivers and Car owners (like Westbrook) continue to take the risk and race there, but if they get hurt you think they have no responsibility for taking the risk its all the tracks fault. If he wins, I dont care who pays the 6 million, it will close Williamsgrove not improve saftey, cmon man i thought you were smarter than this.