Joey Bailey

NINE DEATHS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED WITH HANS DEVICE. 😣🏁 The HANS device (Head and Neck Support) is a critical safety item in motorsports designed to prevent basilar skull fractures, a fatal injury caused when violent deceleration forces the driver's head forward while their body remains secured by safety belts. The following list details the tragic racing deaths that biomechanical studies and medical reports have proven could have been prevented if the HANS device had been used. • Dale Earnhardt Sr. ((NASCAR, 2001) – Died from a basilar skull fracture. The attending medical team confirmed that the HANS device would have saved his life by preventing the fatal overextension of his neck. • Roland Ratzenberger (Formula 1, 1994) – Died from a basilar skull fracture during a head-on crash at nearly 190 mph at Imola. The HANS device reduces the risk of this specific type of trauma by up to 80%. • Gonzalo Rodríguez (CART, 1999) – Died from a basilar skull fracture at Laguna Seca. His car went over the tire barrier and flipped upside down, creating a severe mechanical tension on his neck that the HANS device is designed to restrain. • Greg Moore (CART, 1999) – Died from a basilar skull fracture alongside internal injuries. The extreme deceleration of his head during a violent crash at Fontana would have been heavily mitigated by the device. • Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Tony Roper (NASCAR / Busch Series, 2000) – All three drivers died from basilar skull fractures within a matter of months. They all suffered head-on impacts against concrete walls while the HANS device was still optional and widely rejected by drivers. • Patrick Jacquemart (IMSA GT, 1981) – Died from a basilar skull fracture. His fatal accident directly inspired his friend and fellow racer Jim Downing, alongside engineer Dr. Robert Hubbard, to invent and develop the HANS device. • Blaine Johnson (NHRA, 1996) – Died from a basilar skull fracture. His death prompted the American drag racing association to become one of the earliest adopters to test and mandate the safety equipment. Of course, I am not saying that they would have survived—there were other injuries—but the use of a HANS device would have significantly increased their chances of survival.