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Specific request
President of Web site files specfic autopsy photo request
Posted: Friday March 23, 2001 3:11 PM
Updated: Friday March 23, 2001 4:26 PM
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Teresa Earnhardt is afraid the autopsy photos will eventually be in the public eye through outlets such as the Internet. AP |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The president of a Web site seeking access to the Dale Earnhardt autopsy photos filed a new request Friday, asking for specific images of the racing great's battered body.
Michael Uribe, president of WebsiteCity.com, asked to see 33 images of the body, including the head and brain, that were taken during the autopsy.
Earnhardt was killed Feb. 18 in a crash at the Daytona 500.
Autopsy photos are public records under Florida law, but the photos were temporarily sealed by a judge at the request of Earnhardt's widow, Teresa.
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| Death of The Intimidator |
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End of an era: "This is understandably one of the toughest announcements we've ever had to make. ... We've lost Dale Earnhardt," NASCAR president Mike Helton said.
Teresa speaks out: A subdued Teresa Earnhardt presented herself to the media for the first time since her husband's death two weeks ago in order to read a statement designed to put to rest the continuing controversy surrounding Dale Earnhardt's death.
Help from high place: A bill sought by Dale Earnhardt's widow that would exempt autopsy photographs and videos from Florida's public-records law was filed Wednesday with the support of Gov. Jeb Bush.
A matter of record: A national editors group backed The Orlando Sentinel's attempt to gain access to Dale Earnhardt's autopsy photos and criticized state officials for trying to stop release of the pictures.
Middle ground: The First Amendment Foundation, a Tallahassee-based organization that advocates open government, suggested a compromise after Dale Earnhardt's widow and race fans attacked The Orlando Sentinel for seeking access to the photos, which are normally public record under Florida law.
Forced to meet: Dale Earnhardt's widow and Orlando Sentinel lawyers were ordered to meet to try to resolve their dispute over autopsy photos of Earnhardt, a seven-time Winston Cup champion.
Agreement reached: Lawyers for Dale Earnhardt's widow and the Orlando Sentinel reached an agreement Friday that allows an independent expert to view the autopsy photos of the racing legend before they're permanently sealed.
Chosen one: An associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University was chosen to review the autopsy photos of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.
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Also Friday, Florida Senate President John McKay said a bill to block public access to autopsy photos will be debated for the first time Tuesday. The bill would keep the public and media from seeing autopsy photos unless they can convince a judge that they have good cause.
A House version passed Thursday. If it becomes law, it would be retroactive.
Uribe has complained to Circuit Judge Joseph Will that he had been left out of an agreement between Mrs. Earnhardt and the Orlando Sentinel over access to the autopsy photos.
Neither Will nor the special master for the mediation, John Upchurch, returned phone calls seeking comment Friday.
Under the agreement reached last week, Dr. Barry Myers of Duke University will look at the photos and then submit a report to the newspaper and the Earnhardt family on the cause of death and an explanation of certain head injuries. The photos then will be permanently sealed as requested by Mrs. Earnhardt.
A date for Myers to view the photos hasn't been set.
The Sentinel originally wanted its own medical expert to review the images for an investigation of NASCAR safety. Newspaper officials also were upset that a NASCAR medical expert had looked at the photos the day before they were sealed.
But Sentinel attorney David Bralow said he was happy with the choice of Myers.
Uribe and an independent student newspaper at the University of Florida, the Independent Florida Alligator, are pursuing their own court cases, hoping to gain access to the photos. A hearing for the university newspaper is scheduled for April 5.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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