Hinchcliffe to miss Indy 500 after crash, reportedly suffered massive blood loss
James Hinchcliffe will miss the Indianapolis 500 after being involved in a scary crash Monday during practice.
The 28-year-old remains in stable condition in hospital, and is lucky to be alive, after a right-front suspension piece penetrated his upper left thigh.
"If this would have happened at most of the places we race at things might have been different," Schmidt Peterson Motorsports owner Sam Schmidt told the Indianapolis Star. "If he would have had to go from the ambulance to the track medical center to a helicopter to 30 minutes (to the hospital), I hate to say that would have been a challenge.
"The situation here is that he went straight to (hospital) and it's close. And we've got great people here."
According to Racer report, the quick response by track and medical personnel kept Hinchcliffe alive (graphic details):
The personable Canadian driver was bleeding profusely after a vicious accident in Turn 3 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and, according to one of Hinchcliffe's associates who asked not to be identified when speaking with RACER, it was a life-threatening situation that was handled to perfection by IndyCar's HOLMATRO Safety Team, and by doctors inside the ambulance that rushed him to IU Health Methodist Hospital before surgeons completed the save.
In the impact, which flattened the right side of the chassis, one of the suspension wishbones penetrated the Dallara safety cell, and subsequently caused the majority of the physical damage Hinchcliffe received. RACER has confirmed through multiple sources that Hinchcliffe had the steel wishbone enter and exit his right leg, then enter his upper left thigh, and continue into his pelvic region before it came to a stop.
The suspension component pinned the 28-year-old in the car, leading the safety team to cut the wishbone from the chassis to allow Hinchcliffe's extraction.
With the multiple intrusions, Hinchcliffe experienced massive blood loss at the crash site, and despite the gravity of the soft tissue injuries to his lower extremities, stopping the bleeding became an immediate priority for the medical staff to address once he was pulled from the chassis.
Hinchcliffe may miss the rest of the season due to his injuries. He released a statement on Tuesday, thanking those that assisted him in his time of need:
Words can’t describe how thankful I am. Those guys, in addition to the doctors and staff at the hospital, are my heroes. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate the outpouring of support from IndyCar fans, my family and fellow drivers. We are all one big family and it feels like that today.