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Going to court Pro Stock driver seeks $2 million in damages
Updated: Thursday March 01, 2001 8:19 PM
BOSTON (AP) -- A safety harness similar to the one found broken in the crash that killed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt also failed in a crash at a Seekonk Speedway last summer, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday against the manufacturer. David Hutchins, who raced in the Pro Stock division, claims he suffered serious injuries and emotional distress because the webbing on the Simpson Performance Products' Cam Lock 5-Way Driver Restraint System failed when his car hit a wall during a race last June. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, claims negligence on the part of Simpson and seeks $2 million in damages for Hutchins, 29, and his wife. "It's the same belt. The accident was eerily similar to the accident that occurred with Dale Earnhardt. The seat belt appears to have broken in the same place as the Earnhardt belt broke," said Hutchins' attorney, Brian Cunha. Cunha said Hutchins had a slightly different fastener than Earnhardt, but the harness and the material were identical. He said his client has had 11 operations, and has more than $100,000 in medical bills for treatment of his crushed ankles and chest. Hutchins was allowed out of his wheelchair for the first time last week, Cunha said. Officials discovered a broken belt after Earnhardt, a seven-time Winston Cup champion, was pulled from the wreckage of the crash that killed him during last month's Daytona 500. A doctor later said Earnhardt might have survived the 180 mph crash if the belt had not been broken. Bill Simpson, founder and chairman of Simpson, issued a statement after the crash expressing sadness over Earnhardt's death but saying that in "more than 43 years, we have never seen a seat belt come apart in the manner that occurred. Our seat belts, when properly installed, won't fail." John Dambros, a spokesman for Simpson, said Thursday he knew nothing about the suit and had no comment. The Cam Lock 5-Way system has five belts that strap across the shoulder, waist and groin, and bolts to the floor of a car.
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