Originally Posted by rmackintosh

Here is MY reason for building the best cage possible:




Three plus weeks ago at Thunderhill while leading the American V8 Supercar race and passing a "faster" GT-1 car...got tapped from behind in the rear quarter panel and sent end over end 5-7 times...NOT fun! :willy:

Originally Posted by rmackintosh

...sadly....yes....it is a ball of tin foil now.

Originally Posted by rmackintosh

No, I was found with a deep purple face and black eyes...as in the eyes themselves....the EMTs told my family the next day when they knew I survived. They told my family that when they find people in the shape I was in....they don't make it.

I was flown to the trauma center and had emergency shoulder surgery for a broken clavical and scapula, and I have about 5 broken ribs. That and I still cannot see very well. I have vascular damage to the retina's that the doctors hope will go away. I see a bit better each day, but it is microscopic improvements.

My commitment to safety in the car and my gear saved my life. We build the car safe first and went for speed later. I had just bought a new helmet and HANS tethers that I told my dad were working good since I could only move my head forward about an inch with the sliding tethers...the old quick release tethers I could touch the helmet to my chest. The HANS saved my life but broke my shoulder.....a fine trade off I would say.

Originally Posted by rmackintosh

Originally Posted by rmackintosh

No, my helmet was brand new and has but a few scratches on it. The doctors told me the damage to my eyes was all G Force trauma from slamming into the ground/stopping so fast. Blood vessels burst all over my eyes face from the pressure, and though most have gone away, the retina vessels are tiny and take more time to repair--it is just a question if they will repair enough to restore vision 100%. I am about 90% in my left eye I would say and 75% in the right. Annoying, but getting better each day. I don't look like this anymore, but the kids LOVED this at the dinner table:


:rofl:

Originally Posted by rmackintosh

Yes, I ALWAYS stressed safety first.....fast second while building that car. It paid off handsomely. Don't even THINK of going fast...even in a "safe" HPDE....unless you have your safety bases covered and double covered. JMHO.

Originally Posted by 22'

WOW


dudes eyes look nuts, glad he is alive, that "faster" gt1 car needs to take a fucking bullet in between the eyes. I feel terrible for the guy for got caught up in that too, just crazy

Originally Posted by STi_FTMFW

I remember a friend had done something and his eyes were like that for weeks, IIRC it was something like hitting the water face first at a high rate of speed skiing or something, shit looked really crazy.