Salles involved in fatal accident

From slam.canoe.ca:http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Motorsports/News/2003/09/08/179687-ap.html

Journalism student killed after being hit by car in Brazil race

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - A 19-year-old photographer died after he was struck by a stock car in a race on Sunday at the International Autodrome in Campo Grande, 1,200 kilometres west of Rio de Janeiro.

Raphael Lima Pereira, a journalism student, was photographing the Brazilian Stock Cars V8 race when a car careened out of control and he was thrown from a bank of tires, where he was taking pictures, police said Monday.

He was taken to hospital with unspecified injuries, and died.

The car, driven by Gualter Salles, hit the track's first curve following a crash involving several cars shortly after the race started. Salles was unhurt, and chose not to continue the race, which was restarted.

Race organizers said Pereira was in an area were photographers were not permitted.

Pereira was the third death in the 25-year history of Brazilian stock car racing, and the first victim who was not a driver, according to O Globo newspaper.

How horribly unfortuante for everyone involved. :(

What a tragedy. My prayers are with Gualter and his family as well as the poor photographer and his family.

I echo the above sentiments. It's a terrible reminder of the dangers involved in the sport we all love. What a tragedy for everyone involved.

It really makes you think of the times you've been trackside, or near trackside and the fine line that separates a marshall with a flag or a photographer trying to get that great shot between their job and tragedy.

Just tragic.

Here's a photo of the crash, really bad :(

***WARNING THIS PHOTO DEPICTS A FATAL ACCIDENT***
http://strangef1.host.sk/brzstockcarcrash.jpg
***WARNING THIS PHOTO DEPICTS A FATAL ACCIDENT***

OMG at that pic. It's really bad :(

horrible
just horrible
:(

:angel: Amen to the comments :angel:

Just a point, which if you want to go into start another thread, I'm sure the coroner/race circuit will look at why is there a marshall stood so close to him and yet not removing him from the area. I feel for the guy and his family as well as Salles though. It's a sad day.

I don't think it's the marshall's responsibility to say who is allowed where - I've never seen a marshall question even some of the most daft photographers and others that some how got the credentials.

Hey, I've been moved by marshalls - even after they've seen my creds.

Respect the guys in white. (Or orange in the UK?)

Marshals are often assigned specific positions. The marshals appear to have yellow flags in their hands. As yellow flagger it is his/their job to watch the traffic going away from the station, not look on the banks. That would be the job of the observer/captain. Still, I wonder who was watching the marshals backs.

It's a sad, sad lesson and my heart goes out to his family and friends.

Perhaps photogs should be licensed as marshals are, with the new ones being required to travel with a more experienced lensman, for a set number of events before venturing out on their own. Or perhaps they should have a season on the banks as marshals first. I know some excellent race photogs who got their start as marshals.

I guess it depends...the only thing I've ever been told by a marshall is that the hole I was shooting through was a flag hole and to keep back in case something happened - no prob, I don't have the guts to get that close to a hole in the first place. Most of them seem very kind.

Whatever it is, I hope it will make everyone with trackside (or not) access think twice about where they are and what's going on. A tragic lesson.

A young guy loses his life and they restart the race?
They're all heart.

To the restarting the race, right decision. They carried on racing in '94 when Senna died and '99 in CART when greg Moore died.

About the marshall comment I made please do start a new thread and if a moderator moves those comments it's probablt best. Use this thread for our respects only I would say. I will clarify I was not slagging off marshalls though I know they can not be everywhere and that people take risks to get the best shots but here is not the place to be talking about it.

When Senna and Moore were killed the fullextent of the tradegy wasnt apparent for some considerable time after the accidents took place so the repective races were restarted on that basis. In this terrible instance I would of thought that having seen the horrendous photo in this thread that the poor guy didnt stand a chance, so IMHO the race shold have been abandoned out of respect for both the victim and his family and u wont convince me otherwise

There's also a safety consideration - at Mosport, if a person is declared dead, all racing must stop. Then the fans have no reason to wait around, and head for the exits. Then the roads get clogged. Then safety crews can't move to the hospital by ambulance...

It's happened a couple of times while I've been in attendance, and the driver was always pronounced dead at the local hospital. Meanwhile, the racing goes on - and I don't think that anyone can suggest that the fans were "unaware" at the time. The atmosphere is more of grim determination than wilful disregard, IMO.

Originally posted by oily oaf
When Senna and Moore were killed the fullextent of the tradegy wasnt apparent for some considerable time after the accidents took place so the repective races were restarted on that basis. In this terrible instance I would of thought that having seen the horrendous photo in this thread that the poor guy didnt stand a chance, so IMHO the race shold have been abandoned out of respect for both the victim and his family and u wont convince me otherwise

(I worked as a racing photographer both in Brazil and in the US, but as a matter of lack of time I will comment on Salles' accident later and not now. Let me just say now that Lima Pereira was in a forbidden area and had been asked by track marshal to leave that place. He was beyond the guard-rail and the tire barrier. Look at the picture that has been posted, see where the marshal and the other photographer are and you will see what I mean. He followed the instructions and moved back, but as soon as the lights went off and the cars rolled, Lima Pereira jumped over the barrier again and walked in the run-off area towards the track. He managed to see Gualter's car spinning towards him, and tried to run - but had to time to escape.

Having said that, most of us Brazilians have a rather "non-chalant-couldn't care less" attitude towards authority (few people move away if told to do so by a marshal - I was a marshal in Interlagos too, so I experienced both sides of this coin...), even when our own safety when racing is concerned - I am not condoning or condemning such a behavior, but only putting things under a cultural perspective)

Hello, Oily Oaf,

In general terms I disagree with your post.

First of all, let's talk about Greg Moore. I was in Fontana on that sad day, and most of the people in the track were pretty much aware that he stood minimal chances - this is to make use of an euphemism, as many believed he was dead (or clinically dead) when he was rescued, such was the violence of the accident, and given the rescue techniques deployed. Hence, the "full extent of the tragedy", as you call it, was well known. As an additional information, let me recall you that the flags were lowered to half-mast during the race - and later, well before the checkered flag, the public announcement system broke the terrible news.

Second, Senna. I was in Brazil in May 1st 1994 and I witnessed - and lived - the national commotion caused by his death (probably the third biggest funeral ever, only smaller than Lenin’s and Khomeini’s). During the race most racing fans - Brazilians or not - refused to believe that Senna could die, just because of his sheer size as a racing legend. Senna simply could not die. This feeling acted as a collective, protecting mechanism, shieldering us from what those that had cold mind to analyse the accident had figure out: that Senna stood, as Moore, minimal chances of survival. ("Elvis is not dead", "Jim Clark is not dead" and even "Colin Chapman is not dead, but hiding in a tax heaven in the Caribbean"). I was shocked when I saw the pool of blood in Tamburello grave trap from the helicopter camera, when the efforts to rescue Senna were broadcasted live – and, at that moment, realize that the most unthinkable nightmare might become true.

Third, Lima Pereira. He received immediate treatment by the safety crew, and the race doctor, Dino Altmann, assessed his situation as critical upon arrival. With massive injuries and cardio-respiratory arrest, he passed away shortly afterwards, in Campo Grande main hospital. Gualter was very shocked, and even before knowing that Lima Pereira had succumbed, had decided not to race. His team mate, André Bragantini Júnior, also decided not to participate. The others opted otherwise.

Now back to the main point. I found rather hypocritical that people are quick to criticize organizers, teams and drivers to continuing/resuming a race meeting after someone is killed. As with most things in life, there are no "general rules" to apply in this case. Sometimes it is better to stop the meeting and mourn, sometimes not. Safety considerations, mentioned by Paul Collins, are one of the reasons (things can be made even more difficult if fans are told to leave and clog exit roads). But more than rational factors, the decision must be simply based on what the racing community at the track feels at that moment.

I have been to races where people died and we felt like stopping it. In other cases, the opposite was done.

I found distressing that in the last twenty or so years we have seen a certain movement towards what I call "the aseptization of motorsport". Cases like the public despair when Michael Schumacher broke his leg in Silverstone, or Panis his legs in Montreal, when the overreaction bordered on the ridiculous, were a symptom of the times we live in today - where common sense has been replaced by political correctness, and experience and wisdom by ratings and media friendliness.

Guys and gals, motorsport is dangerous. If you go to a race track – you buy a ticket, or get a press pass – you are exposing yourself to the risks inherent to the sport. You may get hurt or killed. Your children may get hurt or killed. These risks can be minimized, but cannot be eliminated. Of course, any initiative to bring more safety to the sport is welcome, but the risks are always going to be there – as Stefan Johansson once quite properly said, “the big ifs happen”. If you fear this, of find this distasteful, you should drop your helmet and try figure skating or knitting. These activities may suit you better. But asking for the establishment of a “moral code of conduct” (“open the book and found what to do”) to used in case of a race fatality denotes the principles of a generation that forgot how to think – or is afraid to do so.

And if I ever die during a race, please keep the wheels turning.

My apologizes to the marshall.

Well said Muzza total agreement especially about racing if I die whilst at a race meeting.

Tragic accident. RIP Pereira.

Brilliant post Muzza.

Muzza, you stated it well. I have gone back to flag the same day as witnessing and working at a fatal incident. We all deal with tragedy and shock in our own ways. We know the risks and we came to race after all.

Muzza, very well said.

Muzza, well stated, especially this: "I have been to races where people died and we felt like stopping it. In other cases, the opposite was done."

Superb post Muzza.

i'd like to see the photo but i get a message which says that i am not authorized to view it.

Hi Roxyqen,

Here is a link to the picture, but I have to WARN YOU THAT IT'S QUITE GRAPHIC!!!

http://www.gazetaesportiva.net/ge_noticias/bin/noticia.php?chid=104&nwid=18760

P.S. Welcome to 10/10ths....it's a great racing forum and I hope you plan on sticking around.

HI MUZZA
Very thought provoking post
many thanks
GRIFF

A few thoughts.

If true, I see the issue of this fellow being in an area he was not supposed to be in the crux of the incident. It goes without saying that a fatality is not the sort of affair I want to belittle, but I would like to share my opinion on personal responsibility and judgement.

When I was a newcomer at this summers ALMS race in Trois Rivieres Canada, there was a specific track position that as an accredited photographer, I was allowed to shoot from. During practice sessions with cars generally being spread out, I shot from there getting good, more or less head on shots with a nice blurred background of the straight behind the car and a "Quebec" sign back there as well for track placement. The cars were probably over 225kph and going flat through a slight kink in front of me. I chose to stay and get some shots, but come race day, with a busy track, 3 or 4 different car classes-ie, frequent passing and squabbles between GT guys while an Audi or Panoz squeezes by- the little voice in me told me it wasn't worth the risk. To top it off, my commonsensometer was reinforced by one of the marshalls showing me how the single layer of armco between us and the cars was rather loose on its moorings (and had no fencing on it.) Yes it allowed my some great low down shots, but in my judgement, it was just too dangerous, you didn't have a proper out if anything happened, and the time to react was just too little, throw in the iffy protection and it was an easy decision. It may have been poor timing, but I never saw any other photographers there during the two days I was wandering around, so I'm inclined to think the others felt the same way.

All this is to say that on top of respecting the areas that one is supposed to shooting from, one does also have to use your motorsport knowledge and judgement to calculate possible tradjectories, the protection you are offered and escape routes.

djb

Picture is horrible, but excellent Post Muzza.

Same with me, If "the IF" ever happens, which hopefully it won't, please carry on.

Brilliant post Muzza.