Sorry if I am long winded here, I am going to try to explain this with as much detail as I can but in a way everyone can understand it...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xela
What I have read so far from a few places indicates that he turned back to look to see if he should fall back into a group behind him while on the descent. He clipped his pedal on a wall or guard-rail which caused his bike to veer and he was thrown over the bars. PM discussions with Last_Place_Pete yesterday indicated to me that he would more understand the injury mechanism in this case than I do, so perhaps he can comment more.
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As I told Xela yesterday, I'm no medical doctor but I was a medic in the US Army for 8 years. According to what statements I have read from the race doctor, Giovanni Tredici, Wouter Weylandt died as a result of a fracture to the base of the skull and attempts made to resuscitate were fruitless.
Like Xela explained, witness reports have stated that Weylandt hooked a pedal on a guardrail while looking to his rear. This caused his bike to veer into the wall which collapsed his front wheel and catapulted him off of his bike. I do not know how fast he was travelling at the time of the accident, but I do know the average pace for Stage 3 was 27mph so we can assume his speed was considerably more than this during the descent.
I was also unfortunately watching the live broadcast when the cameras cut to the scene of the accident and showed the medical staff beginning their treatments. It was clear to me that Weylandt landed very hard on his face (not his helmet). My guess is that he was unable to unclip from his pedals and his collapsed front wheel acted more as a pivot instead of a catapult, forcing him into the pavement face-first at nearly full speed (it was also stated that after his crash, Weylandt tumbled for approximately 65ft).
An impact of this nature would jerk the head straight back at a very high rate of speed and with great force. These types of fractures tend to involve the bones around the back of the skull and top of the neck. The hole in the base of the skull ("foramen magnum" in doctor talk) through which one's spinal column and blood vessels pass is often compromised in such an injury. Two ways this can result in instant death are:
1) Fractured bones around the opening can sever nerves and/or blood vessels (this can result in paralysis that can stop the central nervous system and/or hemorrhaging which can become fatal in as little as a few minutes).
2) The inertia from the accident can jerk the head with such force that the spinal cord can tear apart from the brain stem (basically, the brain is "unplugged" resulting in instant, and permanent, "lights out").
Given that footage shows no signs of breathing/movement and medical staff immediately starting CPR and other life-saving measures, I am sadly of the impression that Weylandt died almost instantly as a result of the crash. Motorsport fans may remember back to 2001 when Dale Earnhardt died at the end of the Daytona 500. He suffered the same type of injury as Weylandt did, albeit in a much different venue. Most motorsport organizations now require drivers to wear a HANS (Head And Neck Safety) device, which Earnhardt was famous for speaking out against, to prevent further losses to these type of injuries by keeping the head restrained from moving forward at great speed (ie a "whiplash" effect).
More info:
Basilar skull fracture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Internal carotid artery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HANS device - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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