Halo Device Protects Driver in Belgian Grand Prix Crash

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Fernando Alonso's McLaren car spiraled into the air and bounced — yes, bounced — on top of Charles Leclerc's Sauber during a dramatic first-lap crash at Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix. Both Formula One drivers walked away unscathed, with the "halo" protective device surrounding Leclerc's cockpit appearing to save him from a serious head injury. "I don't know how it would have ended up without it. I am happy it was there," said Leclerc, a 20-year-old driver from Monaco. "It all happened very quickly. At the time, I knew there was an orange car, I thought it was Fernando. I felt the impact, but it wasn't that big in the car. I was lucky." Motorsport governing body FIA made the head protective device mandatory in F1 this year in order to protect drivers from potentially fatal impacts such as loose tires barreling at high speed, other flying debris and — in this case — one car landing on another. "What is clear is the significant tire marks on the chassis and the halo," FIA race director Charlie Whiting said. "It doesn't take much imagination to think the tire marks could have actually been on Charles' head." The FIA has been looking at ways to improve cockpit protection and limit the risk of head injuries, after French F1 driver Jules Bianchi — who was a close friend of Leclerc's — died in July 2015 and British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died a month later. In Sunday's crash, Leclerc...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Rescue & Vehicle Extrication Patient Care News Source Type: news