Stefan Wilson was taken to hospital after he and Katherine Legge crashed together during Monday afternoon’s post-qualifying practice for the upcoming Indianapolis 500.
The incident occurred with 48 minutes remaining in the two-hour session. In a pack of traffic, Wilson appeared to slow through the apex of turn one, and Legge struck him from behind, pitching both cars towards the SAFER barrier. Wilson’s #24 Cusick Motorsports car spun 360 degrees and hit the barrier head-on, while Legge’s #44 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car hit the wall right-side first and momentarily lifted into the air.Wilson was extracted out of his car by the IndyCar safety team and loaded onto a stretcher with a neck brace fitted. Wilson gave a thumbs up to the crowd before he was transported directly to Indiana University Methodist Hospital, bypassing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s care centre.
Legge walked away seemingly unhurt from the incident, and was then evaluated and released from the care centre. IndyCar medical director Dr. Julia Vaizer said that Wilson was awake and alert following the accident.
“I can tell you that he [Stefan] is doing well,” said Dr. Vaizer. “He’s being transported to a local hospital for advanced imaging and further evaluation, but he is in good spirits.”
Speaking to NBC after the accident, Legge said she had little explanation for the accident.
“The cars in front were all checking up and I lifted as much as I could, downshifted, hit the brakes, but it wasn’t enough as they were checking up,” she said. “I got into the back of Stefan and we both ended up in the wall.”
The crash is further headache for RLL, who lost Graham Rahal’s #15 car from Sunday’s race after he was bumped out of qualifying by Jack Harvey.
“I know that its another blow to the team,” said Legge. “After yesterday, those guys don’t deserve it. It’s not right.”
This was the first significant crash throughout the entire Indianapolis 500 race meeting. Both days of qualifying and the preceding three days of practice were run without any crashes.
Wilson, 33, qualified for his fifth Indianapolis 500 on Saturday, and is due to start 25th in this Sunday’s race. His best finish in four previous attempts is 15th in 2018, a race in which he led three laps while bidding to win the race on a fuel strategy gamble.
The youngest of two racing brothers from Sheffield, Stefan has been taking part in the Indianapolis 500 in tribute to his older brother Justin, a multi-time IndyCar Series race winner and Formula 1 driver who died due to injuries sustain a crash during the 2015 IndyCar Pocono 500.
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