Costly crash

(Originally posted by Bash to Planet-IRL.com.)

The practice accident involving Nelson Philippe, Will Power and E.J. Viso has cost the series two competitors for this weekend and possibly the rest of the season. Viso is fine and should race tomorrow, but Philippe and Power are both out for an undetermined amount of time.

Philippe suffered an open fracture in his left foot (ugly – the bone(s) actually puncture the skin) and is in surgery this afternoon in Santa Rosa. He also suffered a concussion. Philippe is expected to be in the hospital for at least one night.

Power has two broken vertebrae in his lower back (L2 and L4) and also suffered a concussion. He’s being evaluated further and will also be in the hospital at least overnight.

The long-term prognosis for either driver isn’t known at the moment. IndyCar rules require a driver to sit out for seven days after suffering a concussion, but both will no doubt be out longer. Vitor Meira sustained two fractured vertebrae in his Indy 500 accident this year and is still in rehabilitation. Power could face similar down time, depending on the severity of the fractures.

All of us at Planet-IRL.com wish both drivers a very speedy recovery.