ALERT: Driver da Matta in crash; unconscious

Hadn't seen this on here yet. A heads-up for anyone not checking the wire.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) ä Champ Car driver Cristiano da Matta was airlifted to a hospital after his race car collided with a deer that wandered onto the track during a test session at Road America on Thursday.
Da Matta was airlifted to Theda Clark Memorial Hospital in Neenah. Champ Car series spokesman Steve Shunck said da Matta was unconscious when he was airlifted.
The 32-year-old Da Matta is the 2002 series champion and has 12 career victories. He is sixth in the series points standings this season.
A native of Brazil, da Matta left Champ Car after winning the championship and drove for the Toyota Formula One team in 2003 and 2004.

 

Haven't heard any update from the initial wire story. The slower news comes out of these accidents, the worse it always seems.

 

Presser from RuSPORT: da Matta underwent emergency surgery for a subdural hematoma.

http://www.rusport.com/news/read/update-on-condition-of-rusport-driver-cristiano-da-matta#read_more

 

Haven't heard, but I'd be wary of getting any venison sausage from the concession stand this weekend.

 

AP reports that da Matta still is unconscious. Godspeed to him, but this doesn't sound good.

 

Brain takes time to heal. [/pollyannaish]

But there wasn't much information in that story (other than career highlights) beyond what RuSport already released.

 

This whole thing just really reminds of when Earnhardt was killed. They were extremely slow to release information then as well, and when they did there wasn't much they said.

 

I'm not sure I'd trust AP's "alive or dead" prognosis on deadline after January's debacle.

 

Absolutely right. I vividly remember other instances in which the same principle held true. (Ernie Irvan, Davey Allison, Neil Bonnett, Alan Kulwicki, Ayrton Senna, etc.) Godspeed.

 

I hate auto racing, and I passionately don't think it's a sport, but my heart's out to Mr. da Matta. This is a human life we're talking about.

 

Looks like Cristiano's got a long recovery, but will survive. Good driver and even nicer guy.

Here's an excerpt from ESPN.com:

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The impact knocked da Matta unconscious and he was airlifted to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wis., for emergency surgery for a subdural hematoma -- a ruptured blood vessel on the surface of the brain. He remains in critical condition at the hospital and is likely to be kept in a medically-induced coma for the next couple days until the swelling in his brain recedes.

"After arriving at Theda Clark Medical Center, a head CT scan showed Cristiano had suffered a subdural hematoma," Champ Car medical director Dr. Chris Pinderski said. "He was urgently taken to the operating room for surgical removal of the hematoma and is now being observed in the intensive care unit."

The popular driver nicknamed "Shorty" is likely to be hospitalized for at least two weeks and recovery could take several months, leaving RuSPORT scrambling for a replacement driver for the No. 10 car for the second time this year.

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