This has always been my fear of the safety capsule

[HRTV]

Yes they do save lifes but....... ? what happens when you cant get out?

http://courierunlimiteds.com/main.as...5&ArticleID=47

This is a direct quote from the driver:

“In all the crashes that have happened in my life so far I’ve never lost consciousness so this is absolutely the worst one,” Theoret said. “It’s not the way the boat was broken or anything but because I drowned.

[sponsonhead]

Root Cause

Dan,

The Capsule had nothing to do with this...if anything it saved him from further injury.

"...the tube connecting his air mask to the onboard oxygen system was broken upon impact and Theoret was still strapped into his driver’s capsule."

Had he not had the failure of the mask with the tube coming off, he would not have taken in the water.

Jean is a very lucky man. He's an extremely spiritual guy too, and I have to believe that somehow that came into play.

R-19

[HRTV]

Hey Pat,

I do understand your point but he was trapped in the capsule when they got to him correct? maybe I am not clear on how the whole air system mask works inside the helmet since the helmet is not water proof but I guess the mask is?

Is the mask used by these drivers the same type used for scuba diving etc.. ? then my second question would be what good is a capsule to a driver without this system? Sure you might live through the impact but without the mask system you are sure to drown if not removed asap?

[largecar91]

I run a capsule 120 boat and this is my 1st year with a oxygen system. My helmet is an open face and the mask attaches to the helmet and can be adjusted tighter or looser to the face. It fits over your mouth and nose like a respirator. This way you can still talk on your radio. The full face systems are similar in design. As long as you are consious you should be able to escape the capsule with or without oxygen. The safety divers are your saving grace! I run in the APR circuit and the rescue divers are on top of the accident right away. These guys deserve alot of the credit for keeping Boatracing safe!!

[Dave M]

Well Darn

What do we do now ? I have an idea, place a max speed on all race boats of 25MPH. Will run bracket racing.

This just proves the point of individual saftey being in your own hands. You cna have all the latest greates saftey features mandated or not, and still get injured or expire in an accident. Racing is inherently dangerous no matter what category you race in. Accept it or don't accept it. You have a choice.

[HRTV]

What do we do now ? I have an idea, place a max speed on all race boats of 25MPH. Will run bracket racing.

This just proves the point of individual saftey being in your own hands. You cna have all the latest greates saftey features mandated or not, and still get injured or expire in an accident. Racing is inherently dangerous no matter what category you race in. Accept it or don't accept it. You have a choice.

Dave,

So is smoking pick your poison its the game we call life

[blueskyracer]

Everyday you wake up is a good day. You can die from just eating if you choke to death. I guess you pick your poision and hope you are lucky enough to get a second chance.

[pro350hydro]

Dan,

The Capsule had nothing to do with this...if anything it saved him from further injury.

"...the tube connecting his air mask to the onboard oxygen system was broken upon impact and Theoret was still strapped into his driver’s capsule."

Had he not had the failure of the mask with the tube coming off, he would not have taken in the water.

Well said

[pro350hydro]

Hey Pat,

I do understand your point but he was trapped in the capsule when they got to him correct?

Was he still strapped in? or trapped? Or trapped because he was still strapped in?

[sponsonhead]

Was he still strapped in? or trapped? Or trapped because he was still strapped in?

It's my understanding that he was conscious when he landed, had removed the steering wheel, and was in the process of freeing himself when he ingested the water.

Every accident is different, and what happened to Jean (being incapacitated after a crash for whatever reason) could happen to anyone of us in a car with seat belts. If you crash and are rendered unconscious, you're not going to be able to get yourself out. Thankfully, the rescue crew was all over it and did the very best they could under difficult cir***stances. I still maintain that for the type of boat he was racing, the risk of being "trapped" far outweighs the risk of death had there been no safety capsule.

R-19

[blueskyracer]

I still maintain that for the type of boat he was racing, the risk of being "trapped" far outweighs the risk of death had there been no safety capsule.

R-19[/QUOTE]

How very true. I remember back in 1967/68 when this sport lost 6 of its very best drivers at the time. Well before safety capsules. Since then I can only remember one person that has had major lasting injurys, Steve Reynolds.

[pro350hydro]

I still maintain that for the type of boat he was racing, the risk of being "trapped" far outweighs the risk of death had there been no safety capsule.

R-19

Yep, for sure. If he didnt injest the water, he more than likely would have got out on his own. Bottom line is, he is okay.

[David_L6]

I still maintain that for the type of boat he was racing, the risk of being "trapped" far outweighs the risk of death had there been no safety capsule.

R-19

How very true. I remember back in 1967/68 when this sport lost 6 of its very best drivers at the time. Well before safety capsules. Since then I can only remember one person that has had major lasting injurys, Steve Reynolds.

Jim Kropfield was hurt pretty badly too.

Bill Muncey and Dean Chenoweth were killed.


In those big boats a capsule has to be safer than an open cockpit but I'd be scared of drowning too if I were strapped in one.
Good thing I'm too old to think about moving up to one of those classes.