Driver injured @ Moses Lake

[hydroman6]

I just got off the phone with Russ Bircher, and he relayed the following from the Moses Lake Wa. race site:

Craig Fjarlie was involved in an accident with another boat while milling before the start in DSH today. Craig was taken to the hospital in Moses Lake (he was unconsious at the race site for a short time), and after they stabilized him, sent him on to the hospital in Wenanchee. Craig had a collapsed lung, and some bleeding in his head. They have inserted a tube into his lung to reinflate it, and one into his head to drain the blood. Craig is awake, and a full recovery is expected. Russ says he will be in the hospital for 4-5 days.

Keep him in your thoughts please.

[HRTV]

Wow sounds scary I hope everything works out for him, please keep us posted.

[sponsonhead]

Update on Craig

I've been on the phone off and on with Craig's sister this evening.

Craig had a concussion with some slight brain bleeding and a BRUISED (not collapsed!) lung. No tubes have been inserted ANYWHERE.

I also spoke with Craig tonight, and considering what he went through, he was pretty alert and sounded ok. The doctors were more worried about the lung bruising than the concussion, but the good news is that the doctors seem pretty confident that Craig will be released from the Hospital tomorrow!

Tonight, we're just busy lining up getting rides for him and his equipment home tomorrow. The most important thing is that it appears Craig is going to be ok, and can get his boat repaired.

As always, your thoughts, prayers and good vibes sent in Craig's direction will be appreciated.

Thanks,

R-19

[Jeff Akers]

Get well soon

Prayers and best wishes to you Craig...

[jkimble12]

It's all good Homey!!

I'm posting under Josh's username, but we both want to wish Craig the best and a speedy recovery. This year has been a tough one, too many injuries and worse. Keep us updated on how he is doing. Tough being 2000+ miles away and not able to do anything, but we send our love and prayers!!!

Big Hugs to ALL-
Erin
177-R

[seanp3]

good news!

Just got word from Pat about Craig.......


"Hey Sean,



Craig was discharged from the hospital today, and is back home in Edmonds now (I just got off the phone with him). He’s already talking about getting the boat repaired and racing at least one more time….he says at 60 years old, he doesn’t want his last ride in the boat to be one that resulted in a trip to the hospital.



He does say thanks to everyone who helped him get his stuff back and assisted at the time of his accident.



Thanks,



R-19"

[daveracerdsh]

Craig

I also just got off the phone with Craig. He is back home, a little sore, etc etc. But he is going to be fine...he may even make our nationals planning meeting tuesday night. Yah, he wants to get back into a race boat. Good for him! Dave 56R

[ricochet112]

Craig was in good spirits at discharge, he wanted to walk out of the hospital but he's still a little wobbly so he opted for a wheeled ride out. I told the nurse he likes to go fast and to push him faster and he went into the familiar boat racing pose "right arm extended and left hand squeezed" while being pushed down the hall. She couldn't get him on plane.

He sure was happy to get his shoes, keys and glasses.

Other than a slightly blackened left eye he looked great!

[RuthieRae]

The Ride Home....

Maybe while homey is repairing the boat he can shop for a new tow vehicle?? Hee Hee, just kidding, and interesting ride to say the least!

Glad we could help out, Jeff took good care of the van Craig, no worries!

Life is good.
Ruthie

[Al Peffley]

Healing Thoughts & Cutting-the-Field Accidents

We are praying for Craig to heal quickly. I hope he goes a little easy on his normal daily activities until he is sure that every place he has been injured has been identified by the doctors and medical staff caring for him as he continues to heal at home. Pains from the accident can show up days or even weeks after release from a medical care unit.

I have seen many "T-bone" boating accidents where people cut across the race coarse (sp?) in testing or just before the race start when drivers are looking for lanes going into or out of a turn. A lot of times the racers who cause the accident are not looking at where the boat is pointed. Please try to cut across the coarse closer to the middle of the coarse if you must make up some time (and it is allowed), and also keep a safe distance away from the officials' turn boats or the rescue boat. Don't try entering the coarse at angles near corners that have impared vision issues (busy background, sun glare, etc.), poor closing speed awareness, or involve areas that are not in a closing driver's normal peripheral view wearing a full face helmet. Helmets should fit good and snug so they don't ride down over the driver's eyes when the ride gets rough (or the racing jacket collar pushes on the back of the helmet.) I think all of us who have raced for years should discuss these type of safety issues occasionally, especially with new drivers.

Al Peffley
15-R/R-25

[TLSM301]

Helmets should fit good and snug so they don't ride down over the driver's eyes when the ride gets rough (or the racing jacket collar pushes on the back of the helmet.) I think all of us who have raced for years should discuss these type of safety issues occasionally, especially with new drivers.

Al Peffley
15-R/R-25[/QUOTE]

Al-Thank you for bringing this topic up, as I am a new driver and have been trying to get my helmet to fit so it does not drop down over my eyes. Learned very quickly that it can pose a real hazard with other boats in the vicinity.

Our Best to Craig also for a speedy recovery!
Tracey & Larry Spencer 301M

[sponsonhead]

My comments...

Lately I have been familiar with two incidents where helmets have come off of drivers. While it is important to stress that Craig's helmet stayed on and seems to have done what it should, generally helmets should fit so tight that they almost feel "too tight". Remember that as boat racers, we wear a helmet for maybe 10-15 minutes at a time, so fitting it like a motorcycle or snowmobile helmet for comfort's sake does not necessarily apply to what we do. In discussing helmet fitting with Scott and Al LaPointe at SRP, the helmet should feel tight on the cheeks, and as tight on the head as possible without pinching the TOP of the head.

One thing about Craig's accident that I think definitely bears noting is that his lifejacket did not have impact material in it, since it is at present not a requirement in SO. While there's no conclusive proof to this, I cannot help but think that the bruise to his lung would have been substantially lessened, or not happened at all had there been impact material in his jacket. Just my two cents on this.

R-19

[ian]

I have two Shoei helmets, one for the motorcycle, one to race in. The race helmet is one size smaller that the MC helmet, but when you snap you're head around, it wont budge an inch.
The other plus, of course, is that the helmet I wear for hours on end does not smell like old DePue water......

[Al Peffley]

Helmet Slip Fixes

Maybe I can shed some light on potentail fixes for your helmet problem:

1. I recently had to add some MEMORY FOAM (MF) padding to the top of my favorite pro racing helmet because it had been involved in a couple of wet-downs (one crash and one roostertail hose down, plus a lot of sweat in humid racing temps), and it was becoming too loose. Memory foam is what Army Special Forces/Rangers (MITCH headgear) and Aviation helo crews use to improve their crew helmet fit and function. The only down side is that if MF gets wet, it must be removable so you can dry it out. I use the blue foam formula in about a half inch thickness. Don't alter the manufacturer's liner (ever) or inside padding unless you get padding replacement parts from the OEM source. Some pro dragstrip drivers also use memory foam for comfort and better fit.

2. I use three metal rings on my helmet (installed by Security Race Products in Issaquah WA) along with a chest retainer harness and METAL swivel clips on the 5 harness straps for speeds over 80 mph in my laydown 250ccH. It reduces the effects of hydraulic water action on my helmet if I get ejected in a sudden unplanned stop...

3. All heads are different shapes - some are more oval-shaped and some are more round-shaped. Pick a helmet manufacturer that makes a lid that fits your head shape and size (BTW - a large size can vary even by manufacturer and model, so always try one on before you buy it.) Push up hard on the front lower lip of the helmet with the bottom of your palm to see if it will "bucket" (travel up and back from your face.) The helmet will fit looser in colder weather or a store; it's just like trying on snow ski boots. The helmet should press against your cheeks very firmly, but not hurt your ears when you put it on your head. ALWAYS double check the chin strap to make sure it's very snug and not loose against your chin.

4. If you run over 65 mph, or are in a large field of CSH/OSY boats at a championship race, always wear a neck ring to protect your upper spine (you will loose a little tilt flexibility, but the safety insurance is worth more than the inconvenience.) You can buy a neck ring at any safety equipment provider or your local motorcycle store (dirt bike racers also use these.)

5. NEVER buy a racing helmet that doesn't fit you well or you have poor peripheral visibility through the visor. The highest price helmet is not always the best impact helmet - do your research on crash test info (see 2006 MotorCyclist magazine articles on helmets for more info.) ALWAYS leave your visor cracked a notch or two open to keep from fogging up (especially if you get "hosed down" behind another boat.) I use a good quality face shield with an iridium (reflective) coating and/or light tint to reduce water glare and bright sunlight (we never race at night, and VERY seldom in foggy conditions.)

Hope all of this helps ya. Race safe...

Al Peffley
15-R/R-25

[sponsonhead]

Maybe I can shed some light on potentail fixes for your helmet problem:


2. I use three metal rings on my helmet (installed by Security Race Products in Issaquah WA) along with a chest retainer harness and METAL swivel clips on the 5 harness straps for speeds over 80 mph in my laydown 250ccH. It reduces the effects of hydraulic water action on my helmet if I get ejected in a sudden unplanned stop...

SRP no longer is able to get the metal clips on the helmet restraint. There is a misconception that the metal clips are stronger than the plastic ones. Not true. Metal ones break too. Ask Zach Malhiot. Point being that if you hit the water so hard and so fast that the clips break, no matter what they are made of, they are doing their job.

R-19