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Nadeau condition remains unchanged Posted: Sunday May 04, 2003 2:57 PMUpdated: Monday May 05, 2003 1:56 AM
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Jerry Nadeau and other Winston Cup drivers were inspired last week when they visited rescued prisoner of war Jessica Lynch and other injured U.S. soldiers. Two days later, Nadeau lay in a hospital bed, a victim of his violent sport. The driver, who suffered a partially collapsed lung and unspecified rib and head injuries Friday when his car hit the wall at Richmond International Raceway, remained in critical condition Sunday night. The 32-year-old Nadeau was visited by fellow racers Kyle Petty, Jeff Burton and NASCAR great Bobby Allison the morning after the Pontiac Excitement 400, U.S. Army team spokesman David Ferroni said. The driver's parents, sister and wife also were at the hospital. "We're in a wait and see pattern," Ferroni said. "Everything is the same." Now, Nadeau will need the inspiration he got from his visits last Wednesday as he battles back from his own adversity. "Maybe that is a blessing in disguise that he saw that," said Jay Frye, MB2-MBV Motorsports general manager. "Now he's going to have some of the same struggles that maybe some of them are having. We saw their attitude and he is the same type kid. He's feisty. He's a winner. He's hard-headed and he'll be back." Nadeau has good vital signs and has been sedated while being put through a battery of tests, Frye said Saturday. He had not spoken since the accident, but acknowledged the presence of visitors by squeezing their hands. The team still has not given any details about the extent of Nadeau's head or rib injuries, and Ferroni said he had no new information Sunday. Frye said team members and Nadeau's wife, Jada, have been encouraged after seeing him. Nadeau was injured when his car skidded, spun halfway around and slammed driver's side first into the concrete wall on the three-quarter-mile oval. Rescue crews sawed the roof off his Pontiac, climbed inside and strapped him to a body board before loading him into an ambulance. The Danbury, Conn., driver was being given oxygen through a bag, and his neck was in a brace. He was taken by helicopter to Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in Richmond. Nadeau was wearing a HANS device, a head and neck restraint made mandatory in October 2001. NASCAR has ruled out a stuck throttle or blown tire as the causes for the crash. Nadeau earlier qualified 12th for the race. The team hired Busch
Series regular Jason Keller to drive its backup car in the race,
and Keller finished 32nd in his Winston Cup debut.
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