|
|
Subject:
Olympic Accidents
Category: Sports and Recreation > Trivia Asked by: sirberkmire-ga List Price: $25.00 |
Posted:
16 Aug 2005 09:49 PDT
Expires: 15 Sep 2005 09:49 PDT Question ID: 556399 |
Has anyone ever been decapitated in a Winter Olympics luge or bobsled race? | |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
Subject:
Re: Olympic Accidents
Answered By: pafalafa-ga on 17 Aug 2005 08:58 PDT |
sirberkmire-ga, Thanks for getting back to me. The accident you asked about, though rare (thankfully so), has been known to happen. I found a few references to bobsled accidents in which a sledder had been decapitated. Apparently, it's not that uncommon for a bobsledder to have near-miss for this type of accident. The Syracuse Herald-Journal for December 31, 1979 describes a serious accident at Lake Placid in which a bobsled accident resulted in two riders receiving serious head injuies: "...four riders on a US Air Force bobsled crashed Saturday while running practice trials...The sled's driver, Walter Hallett, 24, suffered head injuries and a broken collarbone...Earl McNeil, 19, was admitted [to the hospital] with head injuries...McNeil was dragged down the run and past the finish line..." The article goes on to describe an earlier accident as well: "The bob run has been described as the fastest track in the world, and one foreign sledder was killed on the run in the 1960s when he was decapitated during a crash." =============== It was surprisingly difficult to find additional information on the 1960's crash, though I did find mention of it in another article, also reporting on some bobsled accidents at Lake Placid: Syracuse Post-Standard December 15, 1979 "...The Canadian sled accident was similar to one that in 1966 took the life of Italian driver Sergio Zardini, who was decapitated." =============== There is a brief web reference to the same accident: http://sportsmississauga.org/famehall/young.htm "It happened during the winter of 1966...During the North American bobsled championship the sled of the favorite Canadian team turned over while negotiating a dangerous "death" curve and crashed into the lip of the runaway. Olympic and world medallist driver Sergio Zardini was killed instantly." Beyond that, I did not find mention of any accidents at world-class events that led to the death of a bobsledder in the grim manner you asked about. There were mentions, however, of other sledders meeting similar fates, though not necessarily during international competition. My earlier reference to the accident taking place in Italy was a mistake on my part. It was an Italian who was killed, but obviously, it did not occur in Italy. I trust this information fully answers your question. However, please don't rate this answer until you have everything you need. If there's anything more I can do for you, just post a Request for Clarification, and I'm happy to assist you further. pafalafa-ga search strategy -- Searched Google and several newspaper databases for: [(sled OR luge OR bobsled) decapitated ] [sergio zardini ] |
|
Subject:
Re: Olympic Accidents
From: soccerfeaver88-ga on 06 Jan 2006 16:55 PST |
if any 1's still interested in this topic, i've found information about "It happened during the winter of 1966...During the North American bobsled championship the sled of the favorite Canadian team turned over while negotiating a dangerous "death" curve and crashed into the lip of the runaway. Olympic and world medallist driver Sergio Zardini was killed instantly." just go to the time magazine website, type in Sergio Zardini, and it will show you a magazine about it. |
Subject:
Re: Olympic Accidents
From: sagaciousone-ga on 24 Feb 2006 18:26 PST |
Ref: Sergio Zardini -some little known trivia... Taken from a local newspaper: Press Republican 2/20/06 40 Years Ago Today Italian driver Sergio Zardini is killed when his bobsled slides sideways into the wood retaining wall of Zig-Zag curve at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. Plattsburgh's Gil Jones suffered a broken hand in another accident immediately before Zardini's fatal run. Plattsburgh, NY is approximately 35 miles from Lake Placid, NY. and Mt. Van Hovenberg is situated between Lake Placid and Keene, NY. In Keene, for many years, there was a popular gathering place for bobsledders called Purdy's Elm Tree Inn. Purdy's had a rare photograph of the precise moment when Zardini met his most unfortunate fate. I first saw the photo as a kid in the early 70's. And again, in the early 90's. Very chilling... to say the least. The following is a blurb taken from the web about Purdy's: Purdy's historic Elm Tree Inn in Keene is the unofficial headquarters for bobsledding in the Adirondacks, a winter sport which began with the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics when the Mt. Van Hoevenberg bobsled run was built just outside the Keene town line- the only such run in the USA. (I can't say if they are still open for business or what may have happened to the photo -its been a while since I've been up that way.) CSA |
Subject:
Re: Olympic Accidents
From: cjames42-ga on 09 Apr 2006 04:19 PDT |
In regards to the Zardini accident. He was NOT decapitated. What the photos show are his helmet which became dislodged during the accident on the Zig Zag turn of the bob run. I was there and helped the others who were on the sled with him. |
If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by emailing us at answers-support@google.com with the question ID listed above. Thank you. |
Search Google Answers for |
Google Home - Answers FAQ - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy |