| Author | Message | ||
     Stevedplumber |
An Apopka man celebrating his 60th birthday by driving a stock car in the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Daytona International Speedway was pronounced dead Sunday afternoon after his car hit the inside wall on the track’s backstretch. The man has been identified as Robert Boswell. The speedway said the accident happened about 5 p.m. and Boswell was taken to Halifax Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The death was the first in the Driving Experience’s presence at the speedway that began in 1998, speedway media relations director David Talley said. There are no SAFER barriers on the backstretch wall at the speedway. The steel and foam barriers, designed to lessen the impact of crashes, are installed in the turns and the frontstretch trioval at the 2.5-mile speedway. Boswell was driving a Chevy Monte Carlo-bodied stock car behind an instructor in another car on the fourth lap of an eight-lap driving program called Daytona High-Banks 8, said Chris McKee, the RPDE director of media relations. He estimated Boswell was traveling at an estimated 70 mph when the instructor noticed Boswell’s car driving in a “herky-jerky” motion, “The first three laps everything seemed to be fairly normal,” said McKee, adding Boswell’s third lap was timed at a top speed of 125 mph. “On lap four, he got down to turn one and started driving sort of some jerky motions at the wheel. The instructor in front of him noticed he was having a problem, looked and it appears as though the participant had kind of slumped over the wheel and lost control of the car and slowed down off turn two” before hitting the inside wall. McKee said Boswell was wearing a helmet, head and neck restraint and the standard five-point safety harness. The speedway impounded the car, Daytona Beach Police said. McKee said the Driving Experience will break the car apart to investigate for any possible malfunctions. McKee said while it appears Boswell suffered a heart attack it was speculation at this point. There have been two other deaths in the 16-year history of the program founded by seven-time NASCAR champion and seven-time Daytona 500 winner Richard Petty and both were linked to heart attacks, McKee said. The program was suspended for the day immediately following Boswell’s crash. It is scheduled to return to Daytona on Feb. 11 and 12. The program, which features both driving and ride-along programs, has a presence at 25 tracks nationwide including Homestead-Miami and the speedway at Walt Disney World. McKee said participants sign a liability waiver before driving as well filling out a medical form that asks questions including if they have high blood pressure, are pregnant. Daytona Beach Police spokesman Jimmie Flynt would not comment on the circumstances of the accident saying they were awaiting results of an autopsy scheduled for Monday afternoon. http://www.wftv.com/news/15212268/detail.html?rss= orlc&psp=news I was there when this occurred. I was #27 out of 34. I believe he was #12-15 out of 34. What a shame  | ||
| Scott_in_nh |
Obviously it is sad for the family and friends to lose somebody close to them. On the other hand if you are going to have a heart attack - he got to go doing something he probably always wanted to try and he wasn't on the highway where it could have been, much, much sadder.... | ||
| Hammer71 |
That must have been the Earnhardt part of the experience. Sad news indeed but at least he was doing something he liked when he checked out. | ||
| Nautique4life |
Bad taste | ||
| Akbuell |
FWIW, the Lakeland Fla newspaper had an article about this very incident in it just this morning. The official outcome is that the driver DID have a fatal heart attack. Seems the driving experience was a birthday gift from his family. My thoughts are with them. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
sounds like he died doing something he enjoyed. i really can't think of a better way to go than doing something you love. i'd much rather the last thing i ever did be running around daytona in a stock car or riding my bike somewhere than be working. condolences to the family, but like richard petty said himself when his grandson adam died, when it's your time, it's your time. | ||
| Bcordb3 |
May he rest in peace. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
That is why they call it the Bucket List. We all have to go, and it is unfortunate for the loss, but when my time comes, I want something like that to be the last thing I do. Beats laying out on hospital bed withering away any day. God Speed, safe journey. | ||
| Slaughter |
What a terrible set of opposites - the joy of the run - and then his death HOWEVER, I always question the nonsense of "he died doing something he loved." I have known people with heart attacks (who had survived) - you cannot describe the PAIN as well as the TERROR as they realized what was happening I've been flying since the late 1960's and in competion, have TWICE now thought I wasn't making it out alive (once without a parachute, the other time too low for a bailout) - and I can tell you that the LAST thing on my mind was "gee this is cool, I'm gonna die doing something I really love." The closest thing might have been the two times I lost it and got slammed directly headfirst on the pavement while roadracing. No memory of either of the 2 incidents but it was instant LIGHTS OUT (for more than a few minutes in both cases). I always say it's much better to die asleep in bed... than in pain or scared shitless - yet I'll still race motorcycles, I'll still fly, I'll still scuba dive. ...and yeah, he WAS doing something that inspired him but when I read about the car being observed to be wobbling - I know that at that moment (if he did have a heart attack) - he was hurting like a MOFO - and for sure wasn't thinking about how cool the situation was going to be for the epitaph written on his tombstone. My heart goes out to his family and friends. You pick your poison, I s'pose. (Message edited by slaughter on February 05, 2008) | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
That must have been the Earnhardt part of the experience. Oh my...that's like talking bad about Hitler in the 1930's or taking the Lord's name in vein. | ||
| Djkaplan |
Where exactly is a good place to die of a heart attack? | ||
| Djkaplan |
"That must have been the Earnhardt part of the experience." I agree that this comment was, indeed, in bad taste... ...but freakin' funny as hell. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Where exactly is a good place to die of a heart attack? At the Bunny Ranch in the middle of a short stroke.... | ||
| Dbird29 |
"I want to die like my grandpa. In his sleep. Unlike the screaming passengers in his car." | ||
| Djkaplan |
At the Bunny Ranch in the middle of a short stroke.... Ah... coming and going at the same time. | ||
| Hammer71 |
Was trying to make light of a sad situation, some get it some don't, could care less if it's P.C. or not | ||
| Djkaplan |
...some get it some don't I think if anyone met you... they'd get it. | ||
| Ocbueller |
I assumed something had to be seriously wrong to wreck on that course. I took that same course as a gift from my family. I found it a bit tame but fun nonetheless. Tragic for the family and probably not much fun for Mr. Boswell either. SteveH | ||
| Nevrenuf |
i would rather die doing something great than dieing like my dad. i'd say the excitement was to much to bare. | ||
| Djkaplan |
My stepfather died in bed after a terrible fight with cancer. That's not the way I want to go out... not that way. Hey Neil... I bet Mr Boswell's ride wasn't nearly as exciting as riding with you! | ||
| Spiderman |
and I can tell you that the LAST thing on my mind was "gee this is cool, I'm gonna die doing something I really love." question me this Mr. Slaughter, would you rather die sitting in your office at work or in said plane/on the track? (i'm with you though, when I had a car pull out in front of me when I was on the scooter, that two was the last thing on my mind  ) | ||
| Birdy |
I know all about this. See this is why I bought my Buell I decided that after having a heart attack that if I gotta go I'm going to go doing what I want. It took two years to pay off all the hospital bills that the insurance didn't cover. My family hates "Those death machines" But I damn near died sitting at a desk. No death wish but I was living a "Safe" life that I hated. Sometimes you have to let go and cut loose knowing the risk of what you are doing. Only you can decide if the price is to high for the joy and fun of living. I feel for his loved ones but he died doing what he wanted and there can be no greater gift from above than that. (Message edited by Birdy on February 05, 2008) | ||
| Slaughter |
I'd rather NOT die pooping in my pants or terrified of what was happening around me. Had some pretty detailed discussions with my neurologist after the first time doing rehab. He said that in adrenaline sports, when you get knocked out, you very often do not remember much of what happened because all your memory is RAM. You are operating on the basis of training and experience. Not operating on a higher level where you're having to draw on long term memory. Turn off the computer without saving to the hard drive and it's just lost... so the last thing I remeber is putting on my gloves in the pits and can't remember engine start or pulling out or the green flag. Certainly not the wreck. That's a good thing. So far, so good. The times that I have come off and NOT been knocked out have not been fun. I'm always shocked at how long it takes to stop sliding or tumbling! Amazing how much time you have to think... sliding on the pavement with your hand out, instinctively trying to prevent tumbling and in an instant thinking "I'm gonna break that arm when I slide off the track into the rough" - and then pulling in the arm and starting to tumble. As long as the brain is operational and processing, you're really aware of your pain and the outside world. All things being equal, I'd rather die during a session of some really nasty/heavy luvvin' - but that'd be kinda rough for Sunny.  (matter of fact, to hear her criticism, you'd think that I regularly die during.... well... nevermind) (Message edited by slaughter on February 05, 2008) | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Unlike Elvis, I am not going to die on the pot pooping after eating a banana peanut butter bacon sandwich. That was no way for the King to go. We may not choose our time, but step away from the fatty sam-wich | ||
| Danny_h__jesternut |
I suffer from near death expearences on a fairly regular basses. I'll garentee ya it ain't no fun either.I jest sware one of these days, that GIRL(wife)is realy going ta kill me. I might deserve it though? Still dead is dead, guess I'd like to go out in a horrably/grizley/nasty/grotesque kinda way,why not,WTF! Atomized by a nuke would be too easy/painless I guess. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Death goes against our natural desire to live. I'm sure he wasn't going peacefully. Even those who "die in their sleep" of a hear attack had some acute pain. We assume they died in their sleep, but I can guarantee that a myocardial infarction is enough to bring you out of your sleep. It's just that there wasn't anyone around to see you wake up. I see the heart attack as ruining a bitchin' gift for a 60 year old guy. I can guarantee you that he was thinking about how much it hurt not about the ride. I just hope he got a chance to hug his family goodbye. | ||
| Buellrider11960 |
when i die i hope it's the same way i entered this world. naked ,upsidedown, and getting spanked by a nurse. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
a friend over here woke up in the middle of the night back a couple weeks ago complaining about the gas problems he was having, and all of a sudden had a heart attack. couldn't do nothing. tried to revive him without any success. by the time the medics got there he was pronounced dead. 57 yrs old and no real warning what so ever outside of the gas problems which he never got a good diagnoses of. earlier that evening, he decided he wanted to have his currie chicken and rice for dinner, have a beer which he hardly ever drank and smoke a cigar. the guy was not fat(skinnier than glitch) and you'd never know by looking at him that he had any problems. live life to the fullest cause you never know when it's your turn. hey dj, i'm just glad that i'll be back on the cyclone again. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I really hope I don't leave the way I came in, being pulled through a slit cut into my mother's stomach. That would be nasty. | ||
| Igneroid |
Id like to check out just about the time I maxed out my credit card at the hoar house.. |
