| Aug. 10 |
Study concludes Earnhardt died from head-whip |
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The NASCAR investigation of Dale Earnhardt's fatal wreck has found that cars aren't safe enough in crashes, but it does not blame a broken seat belt for the death of the racing great, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Full Story |
| Aug. 10
| Belt maker Simpson wants to be absolved by NASCAR
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Embattled safety equipment manufacturer Bill Simpson is pleased that Dale Earnhardt's fatal skull fracture won't be blamed on a seat belt made by his former company, but he won't be satisfied unless NASCAR explains what happened. Full Story |
| July 31
| Seat-belt maker resigns over Earnhardt controversy
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Bill Simpson, who found himself at the center of controversy following Dale Earnhardt's death, has resigned as head of the company that manufactured the safeth belts in race cars driven by Earnhardt. Full Story
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| July 6
| Dobler says re-enactment showed seat belt broke
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The paramedic who crawled into Dale Earnhardt's car after his fatal crash at the Daytona 500 is convinced of a seat-belt failure -- most likely upon the car's impact with the concrete wall -- after participating in a re-enactment of the crash scene.
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| June 13
| Judge denies request for access to Earnhardt photos
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This was like winning the first period of a hockey game. So there was no wild euphoria in the courtroom when a judge ruled Wednesday against releasing autopsy photographs of NASCAR racing legend Dale Earnhardt.
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| May 10
| Professor says NASCAR will do the right thing
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It's been almost three months since Dale Earnhardt crashed into the retaining wall at Daytona International Speedway. And NASCAR says its independent "accident-reconstruction review" of the fatal crash won't be in until at least August.
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| May 3
| NASCAR asks for meeting with vocal rescuer
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As the probe continues into the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR has reached out to Tommy Propst, the rescue squad member who challenged its assertion that the racing icon's safety belt was broken in the accident.
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| May 2
| Rescue worker offers her account of Earnhardt aftermath
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For nearly three months, Patti Dobler, a 37-year-old single mother of two children, was the mystery rescue worker who crawled into Dale Earnhardt's mangled race car after a fatal last-lap crash Feb. 18 during the Daytona 500.
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| April 29
| Sentinel: Rescuer says Earnhardt seat belt intact
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Dale Earnhardt's seat belt was intact after his fatal Daytona 500 crash, according to one of the first rescuers on the scene, who said he struggled to pull open the seat-belt buckle before finally releasing it.
Full Story
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| April 12
| Doctor says blaming restraint system was premature
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The physician who said a faulty seat belt might have been responsible for Dale Earnhardt's death at the Daytona 500 admits that he was quick in assigning blame to the restraint system.
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| April 10
| Independent expert says Earnhardt died from head whip
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Dale Earnhardt died when his head whipped violently forward in the seconds after his car hit a wall going 150 mph at the Daytona 500, an independent medical expert has concluded.
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| March 28
| Detective: Police probe into Earnhardt's death unusual
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The lead police investigator looking into stock car legend Dale Earnhardt's death said officials from law enforcement and NASCAR hampered his efforts to examine evidence in the accident.
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| March 26
| Earnhardt autopsy report answers, leaves questions
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Speculation surely will persist on whether a head-and-neck restraint device could have saved Dale Earnhardt's life, but it's now apparent that the NASCAR great died from a basilar skull fracture during a crash at the Daytona 500.
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| March 22
| Professor of biomedical engineering will review photos
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An associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University was chosen to review the autopsy photos of Dale Earnhardt and submit a report to the media and the Earnhardt family on the cause of death.
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| Feb. 22
| NASCAR community mourns Earnhardt with memorial
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Fellow drivers and team members took a day away from the NASCAR circuit Thursday to pay their respects to Dale Earnhardt, killed last weekend in the final lap of the Daytona 500.
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| Feb. 20
| Services to be held Wednesday and Thursday
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Services for Dale Earnhardt are to be held Wednesday and Thursday to commemorate the racing legend who died when his black No. 3 Monte Carlo slammed into an outside wall in the final lap of the Daytona 500.
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| Feb. 20
| Autopsy: Blunt force injuries to head ended Earnhardt's life
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Dale Earnhardt died of a massive blow to the head when his race car struck a wall at 180 mph hour, a medical examiner said in a report. The report did not attempt to determine if a head and neck brace could have saved his life.
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| Feb. 18
| Earnhardt dies after last-lap crash
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Dale Earnhardt, one of the greatest stars in auto racing history, died from injuries in a last-lap crash after slamming into the wall on the final turn of the Daytona 500 while fighting for position.
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