The crash video of Kyle Kirkwood from Indy500 has gone viral
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Felix Rosenqvist slammed the outside wall with less than 20 laps remaining before spinning back onto the track and smashing into Kyle Kirkwood, who had lost a back tyre and was heading for a terrifying accident. Kirkwood’s car then flipped over before coming to an abrupt stop on the circuit.
Kyle Kirkwood car rolls over as tyre shoots towards the audience during Indy 500 accident, crash video goes viral
The tyre from Kirkwood’s car flew over the wall and towards the audience, making the event not just tense on the track but potentially fatal for onlookers nearby. Safety personnel swiftly appeared, lifted Kirkwood’s automobile, and assisted the driver in exiting the vehicle. Before being brought to the infield care centre for evaluation, Kirkwood gave the all-clear to the emergency team and waved to the audience.
This is WILD.
Watch Kyle Kirkwood inside his car as it’s upside down sliding down the track.
Grateful for the security innovation in motorsport 🙏 pic.twitter.com/PBUVJogI3t
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) May 28, 2023
Here’s where that flying tire impacted in turn 2
@IMS #indy500 pic.twitter.com/MLexGcUu5q— Andrew Kossack (@AndrewKossack) May 28, 2023
Tyre from Kyle Kirkwood flies into the crowd.
Kirkwood’s car’s tyre shot forward, heading straight for the stands’ audience members. The tyre at the racecourse missed the spectators and landed between the stands, according to replays. According to a tweet, the loose tyre struck a car in the parking lot as grounds staff were nearby. Staff members were visible on the broadcast beside the damaged car.
One individual was sent to the infield care centre after being injured following the incident, according to IndyCar. They were examined and then let go.
With a few laps remaining, there was another collision.
Following the collision between Rosenqvist and Kirkwood, the race was very briefly under the green flag. With eight laps to go, Pato O’Ward, who was in the lead, attempted to make an aggressive move that caused him to skid up the track and into the safety barrier.
After hitting the back of O’Ward’s vehicle, Agustin Canapino and Simon Pagenaud were entangled in the chaos as race control again raised the red flag with six circuits to go.
The incident involving the last Indy 500 spectator fatality
Karen Kurtenbach used to take her family every year to the Indianapolis 500, but on the 130th lap of the 1987 race, a collision caused a tyre to fly over the catch fence, into the bleachers and strike Lyle, Karen’s husband.
In 2018, Karen Kurtenbach reported to IndyStar, a publication of the USA TODAY Network, that as they looked up, something was approaching them. Although they were trying to duck, her husband was unable to do so quickly enough. Kurtenbach’s passing marked the speedway’s first fatality among spectators in more than 30 years at the time.