Indianapolis Motor Speedway Fatalities

Date Name Hometown Distinction Event Incident Description

8/19/1909 William Bourque, 26 Springfield, MA Driver Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race Borque was accompanied with riding mechanic Harry Holcomb. On the 58th lap of the 250-mile race, Bourque was witnessed to have glanced backwards momentarily at other cars on the frontstrech. At that moment, a wheel slipped, hit a rut, and the car flipped over in a ditch. Holcomb was thrown from the car and was killed instantly. Bourque was trapped under the car and suffered severe injuries, and never regained conciousness after being transferred to the hospital.

8/19/1909 Harry Holcomb, 22 Springfield, MA Riding Mechanic

8/21/1909 Claude Kellum, 35 Indianapolis, IN Riding Mechanic Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race During the 300-mile race, Kellum was relieving riding mechanic Robert Lyne, the mechanic for Charlie Merz. While driving down the frontstrech, Merz blew a tire, and the car flipped up into the stands, pinning Merz underneath. Kellum was thrown from the car, and died from his injuries an hour later. Spectators Homer Joliff and James West were also killed by the crashed car.

8/21/1909 Howard H. "Homer" Joliff Indianapolis, IN Spectator

8/21/1909 James West Indianapolis, IN Spectator

7/6/1910 Tony Kincaid Indianapolis, IN Driver Testing Crash testing a stock car

5/30/1911 Sam Dickson unknown Riding Mechanic Race Lap 2 Crashed Backstreach with driver Arthur Greiner

6/26/1913 Harry Martin Indianapolis, IN Driver Testing Crash

5/31/1919 Nicholas Mollinard France Riding Mechanic Race Lap 45 Crash on the 45th lap in turn three. Both Mollinard and Thurman were killed at the scene.

5/31/1919 Arthur Thurman Washington, DC Driver

5/31/1919 Louis LeCocq France Driver Race On the 97th lap, the gas tank exploded on the frontstrech. Both LeCocq and Bandini were killed at the scene.

5/31/1919 Robert Bandini Los Angeles, CA Riding Mechanic

5/30/1923 Bert Shoup Lafayette, IN Spectator Race Lap 22 Struck by crashed car of Tom Alley on Backstrech

5/27/1926 Herbert Jones Indianapolis, IN Driver Qualifacations Crash Turn Four

5/30/1929 Bill Spence Los Angeles, CA Driver Race On the 14th lap, Spense's car swerved and the car hit the inside wall in turn two. Spence was thrown from the car, and died en route to City Hospital. His fatality was announced after the race.

5/30/1930 Paul Marshall Indianapolis, IN Riding Mechanic Race Lap 29 Crash Turn Turn Three with driver Cy Marshall

5/26/1931 Joe Caccia Bryn Mawr, PA Driver Practice Crash, both Grover and Caccia were killed at the scene.

5/26/1931 Clarence Grover Haverford, PA Riding Mechanic Practice

5/30/1931 Wilbur C. Brink, 12 Indianapolis, IN Bystander Race On the 162nd lap, driver Billy Arnold crashed and a wheel bounced out of the track and across the street to 2316 Georgetown Road and struck and killed 12-year old Brink while he was playing in his front yard.

5/26/1932 Harry Cox Indianapolis, IN Riding Mechanic Practice Crashed over wall in turn two and hit a tree, while serving as riding mechanic for driver Benny Benefield (who was injured)

5/27/1932 Milton Jones Cleveland, OH Driver Practice Crash Turn One

5/28/1933 Bill Denver Audobon, PA Driver Practice Crash Turn Three, both Hurst and Denver were killed at the scene.

5/28/1933 Bob Hurst Indianapolis, IN Riding Mechanic

5/30/1933 Mark Billman Indianapolis, IN Driver Race Lap 79 Crash Turn One

5/30/1933 Lester Spangler Los Angeles, CA Driver Race Lap 132 Crash Turn One

5/30/1933 G.L. Gordon Lafayette, IN Riding Mechanic Race Lap 132 Crash Turn One

5/25/1934 Peter Kreis Knoxville, TN Driver Practice Driver Kreis was accompanied by riding mechanic Bob Hahn. During a practice run, the car jumped the wall in the south end of the track, rode along the top of the wall, and struck a tree (the same tree where Harry Cox was killed in 1932). The car tore in half, and the halves landed 25 feet apart. Kreis was thrown from the car and killed instantly. Hahn was pinned in the wrecked car, and died a few minutes later.

5/25/1934 Robert Hahn Chino, CA Riding Mechanic

5/21/1935 Johnny Hannon Morristown, PA Driver Practice Rookie Hannon crashed in turn three on his first practice lap at speed.

5/21/1935 Hartwell "Stubby" Stubblefield Los Angeles, CA Driver Qualifications On the eighth lap of their ten-lap qualifying run, the car suffered a steering problem and the car went over the wall in the southchute. The car landed about 200 feet outside of the track. Both Stubblefield and Whitaker died of head injuries before arriving at City Hospital.

5/21/1935 Leo Whitaker Los Angeles, CA Riding Mechanic

5/30/1935 Clay Weatherly Cincinnati, OH Driver Race On the 9th lap of the race, Weatherly crashed through the wall in turn four, in nearly the same place Hannon crashed a week earlier.

5/27/1937 George Warford Indianapolis, IN Fireman Practice During practice on May 27, Overton Phillips crashed on the mainstrech pit area, striking Warford and Rhode. Warford died at the scene. Rhode died of his injuries five days later on June 1.

6/1/1937 Otto Rhode Toledo, OH Crew Member

5/28/1937 Albert Opalko Gary, IN Riding Mechanic Practice Crash with driver Frank McGurk Turn One

5/30/1938 Everett Spence Terra Haute, IN Spectator Race Lap 45 Struck by wheel from Emil Andres' car in Turn Two

5/30/1939 Floyd Roberts Van Nuys, CA Driver Race Lap 107 Crash Backstrech

9/20/1939 Lawson Harris unknown Riding Mechanic Testing Crash Turn One with driver Babe Stapp

5/7/1940 George Bailey Indianapolis, IN Driver Practice Crash

5/30/1947 Shorty Cantlon Indianapolis, IN Driver Race Lap 41 Crash Turn One

5/16/1948 Ralph Hepburn Van Nuys, CA Driver Practice Crash Turn Three

6/3/1949 George Anthony Metzler, Jr. Indianapolis, IN Driver Driver's Test Crash Turn One during practice; died in hosptial 6/3

5/15/1953 Chet Miller Glendale, CA Driver Practice On the last day of practice before Pole Day time trials was scheduled to be held, Miller suffered the fatal crash in turn 1

5/30/1953 Carl Scarborough Clarkston, MI Driver Race During record-hot temperatures for the running of the 500, numerous drivers sought relief during the race. At about the 190th lap, driver Scarborough came to the pits suffering from heat prostration, and succomb at the infield hospital.

5/16/1955 Manuel Ayulo Burbank, CA Driver Practice Crash Turn One

5/30/1955 Bill Vukovich, 36 Fresno, CA Driver Race The two-time defending champion was driving towards a third straight win at Indy. On the 57th lap, Vukovich was leading by about a half mile when on the backstrech, Rodger Ward spun with a broken axle and flipped over. Al Keller swerved to avoid Ward, hit the wall, and crashed into Johnny Boyd. Boyd skidded and crashed into the side of Vukovich's car, and Vukovich's car went over the wall, smashed into the ground, and burst into flames. Vukovich was killed instantly. The announcement of the fatality was made later in the race on the live radio broadcast by Sid Collins.

5/15/1957 Keith Andrews, 36 Colorado Springs, CO Driver Practice Entering turn four, Andrews spun, hitting the inside wall, bouncing back and hitting the wall several other times. Andrews was killed instantly

5/30/1958 Pat O'Connor, 29 North Vernon, IN Driver Race After confusion during the pace lap, the field formed up and took the green flag. Entering turn three, Dick Rathmann and Ed Elisian got together and spun, triggering a 15-car pileup. O'Connor touched wheels with another car and flipped over. The car caught fire and he was killed instantly.

5/17/1959 Jerry Unser, 26 Lakewood, CA Driver Practice During practice on May 2, Unser lost control in turn four, spun and flipped down the mainstrech. The car caught fire and Unser suffered significant burns. Unser was taken to the hospital, where he died about two weeks later on May 17.

5/19/1959 Bob Cortner, 32 Redlands, CA Driver Practice The day after passing his rookie test, Cortner crashed in turn three after his car was pushed by a wind gust. He was killed instantly.

5/30/1960 Fred Linder Indianapolis, IN Spectator Infield On the backstrech, over 125 spectators paid $5-$10 extra to sit on a homemade scaffolding, haphazzardly erected along the inside fence. When the field drove by on the first parade lap, the combined movement of the spectators standing and waving caused a shift, and the scaffolding collapsed, killing Linder and Craig, and injuring about 40 others.

5/30/1960 William Craig Zionsville, IN Spectator

5/12/1961 Tony Bettenhausen, 45 Tinley Park, IL Driver Practice Bettenhausen was testing a car for Paul Russo when he lost control on the mainstrech. A small bolt fell off, allowing the front wheels to misalign when the brakes were applied. The car rode up onto the outside wall and slid down, ripping the fencing, and came to rest upsidedown. A small fire was coming from the rear, and Bettenhausen was killed instantly.

5/30/1961 John Masariu Danville, IN Fireman Race On the 127th lap, driver Eddie Johnson spun out, but did not suffer significant damage and he was not injured. A safety fire truck went to his aid. Masariu, who was a basketball coach at nearby Ben Davis High School and was serving as a safety worker, fell off the back of the fire truck. A moment later, the truck accidentally backed over him, and he was injured fatally.

5/30/1964 Eddie Sachs, 35 Detroit, MI Driver Race On the second lap of the race, the field was coming out of turn four and onto the mainstrech. MacDonald swerved into the inside wall, and the car exploded into flames. A huge black cloud of fire and smoke rose into the air, completely blocking the track. Several cars, including Sachs, crashed into MacDonald's car, and Sachs' car also exploded. Sachs was killed instantly, and the announcement of his death was made over the Speedway public address system by Tom Carnegie. On live radio, Sid Collins delivered a fitting, impromptu eulogy. MacDonald would be declared dead at the track hospital a short time after. The race resumed after about a two-hour delay.

5/30/1964 Dave MacDonald, 26 El Monte, CA Driver

5/14/1966 Charles J. Rodeghier ("Chuck Rodee"), 38 Indianapolis, IN Driver Qualifications On his final warm-up lap, Rodee spun in turn one at the bottom of the track, and crashed into the outside wall. After being taken to Methodist Hospital, he was pronounced dead two hours later of internal injuries.

5/7/1968 Mike Spence England Driver Practice Driving the Turbine belonging to teammate Greg Weld near the end of the day, Spence lost control in turn one and crashed into the outside wall. Observers believe a tire came loose and hit his helmet. After being taken to Methodist Hospital, Spence died four hours later of head injuries.

5/18/1972 Jim Malloy, 36 Denver, CO Driver Practice On Sunday morning, May 14, Malloy lost control of the car in turn three and hit the outside wall head on. Malloy was unconscious and pinned in the collapsed car. Four days later, he died at the hospital, never having regained consciousness of head injuries, fractures, and burns.

5/12/1973 Art Pollard, 46 Medford, OR Driver Qualifications During practice on the morning of pole day, Pollard lost control of his car in turn two and hit the outside wall. The car caught fire and spun into the infield, rolling several times. An hour later, Pollard was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital. He reportedly suffered serious head injuries and possible flame inhalation.

7/2/1973 David Earl "Swede" Savage, 26 Santa Ana, CA Driver Race After two days of rain delays, the race was held Wednesday May 30. On his 58th lap, just after a pit stop, Savage lost control coming out of turn four and hit the inside wall. The car was demolished and caught fire, burning the full fuel load of nearly 75 gallons. Savage was taken to the hospital with relatively minor injuries but serious burns. 33 days later on July 2nd, Savaged reportedly died from complications related to contaminated plasma. Dr. Steve Olvey wrote that Savage contracted hepatitis B from a transfusion, causing liver failure.

5/30/1973 Armando Moreno Teran, 22 Santa Monica, CA Crew Member Race Teran was the pit board sign man for Graham McRae. On the 60th lap, McRae's teammate Swede Savage suffered a terrible crash in turn 4. Teran started sprinting up the pit lane. At the same time, a fire truck was signaled to head to the scene. Cleon Reynolds, the Chief of the Speedway Fire Department, signaled for fire/safety truck driver Jerry Flake to proceed northbound up the pit lane to the crash scene. Flake was stationed at the south end of the pits. Flake, driving northbound, struck Teran and tossed his body about 50 feet. Teran suffered crushed ribs and a broken skull, and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 4:23 p.m. The incident was witnessed by thousands of spectators, as it occurred on the pit lane right at the start/finish line. It was erroneously reported by media that Flake was driving the wrong way, as was at fault; at the time, safety trucks were permitted to drive in the opposite direction of the racing cars. The following year, USAC prohibited safety trucks from driving in the opposite direction.

5/15/1982 Gordon Smiley, 33 Grapevine, TX Driver Qualifications Smiley lost control and spun entering turn three on his final warm up lap, he possibly overcorrected, and the car crashed head-on into the wall in the middle of turn three. He was killed instantly

5/24/1987 Lyle G. Kurtenbach, 41 Rothschild, WI Spectator Race On the 131st lap, driver Tony Bettenhausen exited the pits. One of the wheels was not properly secured, and in the third turn, he lost the wheel. Driver Roberto Guererro came up behind and hit the wheel with his nosecone. The wheel bounced up and over the catch fence in the northchute. The wheel came down and struck and killed Kurtenbach, who was sitting in the top row of the "K" grandstand. The wheel came to rest in the tunnel in the northchute. The resulting damage to Guerrero's car, a broken nosecone (which was replaced) and more importantly, a broken clutch master cylinder inside, directly led to Guerrero losing the race. His car became stuck in gear, and stalled exiting the pits, while leading, on his final pit stop.

5/29/1991 Stephen C. White, 31 Indianapolis, IN Trespasser Trespassing Three days after the 1991 race, White, who was intoxicated, illegally entered the grounds of the Speedway late at night and drove a truck around the track, striking a van and was killed in the accident.

5/15/1992 Edward Jovy Marcelo, 27 Phillipines Driver Practice Driving at about 172 mph in the apron of turn one, the car made a sharp jerk and hit the outside wall in the southchute. He pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital

5/17/1996 Scott Everets Brayton, 37 Coldwater, MI Driver Practice Brayton had qualified for the pole position for the 1996 race on Saturday May 11. Five days later, Brayton was testing a back-up car during practice. At 12:17 p.m., he likely ran over a piece of debris in turn four or possibly down the frontstrech, which punctured the right rear tire. In the south short chute, his right rear tire suffered rapid deflation, and the car broke into a spin in turn 2. The car hit the wall hard with the left side, and slid to a stop down the backstrech. Brayton was killed instantly of basilar skull fracture. He was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital at 12:50 p.m.

10/22/2003 Tony Renna, 26 Deland, FL Driver Testing On a cold morning, Renna was participating in a private tire test for his new team, Target Chip Ganassi Racing. On his fourth lap, Renna spun in turn three and the car went airborne into the catch fence of the northchute. The catchfence and railing of the seating area at the location of the crash was visibly damaged. Renna was pronounced dead on arrival at Methodist Hosptial from severe internal injuries.

8/6/2004 Art Morris, 64 Anderson, IN Safety Patrol worker Infield In the infield at approximately 7:30 AM during a practice day for the Brickyard 400, Morris lost control of a motor scooter and struck a concrete barrier. He was pronounced dead at 10:30 AM at Methodist Hospital from head and arm injuries.

Drivers in Race 16

Drivers in Qualifications 5

Drivers in Practice 17

Drivers in Testing 3

Drivers in Driver's Test 1

Total Number of Drivers 42

Riding Mechanics 13

Spectators at Track 7

Pit Crew Members 2

Firemen 2

Safety Patrol workers 1

Bystanders 1

Trespassers 1

Total Number of Fatalities at Speedway: 72

Other Reported Fatalities

1965: A 17 year-old Decatur Central High School boy who was working in the infield sought shelter in a shack with a few others during a thunderstorm. Reportedly, lightning struck, killing the boy.

May 27, 1984: The Indianapolis Star reported that an unidentified spectator died of a heart attack at the track hospital during the race.

May 26, 1991: During the pace laps, a spectator on the backstrech reportedly died of a heart attack.

September 23, 2000: Three spectators apparently drove a recreational vehicle from Canada to a camp for the 2000 United States Grand Prix Forumla One race. During the drive, they reportedly made a u-turn through a muddy grass median, which clogged an exhaust pipe. The RV was parked in a private lot just east of the Speedway on 16th Street. All three were found dead by police, the cause of death was carbon-monoxide poisoning while sleeping, because of the clogged pipe. The victims were Armonde Sylvestre, 53, David Gilbert, 47, Barry Rihbany, 30, all of Ontario, Canada.

May 25, 2008: Michael Thies, 43, from Ruma, Illinois was found dead in an recreational vehicle in a vacant lot on Georgetown Road. He died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Three other family members were also hospitalized at Wishard Memorial Hospital. Charles Buss, 69, Fred Buss, 61, were listed in serious condition. Debrah Buss, 53, was listed in fair condition.

September 13, 2008 During the Inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Moto GP weekend, one fan died of an apparent alcohol overdose. William Cully Thomas, 47, of Mitchell, Indiana, was found deceased by friends sitting in a lawn chair in the Lot 2 parking lot across the street from the Speedway.

Notable Spectator and Crew member Non-Fatal Injures & Incidents

1941 (Race day): Tweleve spectators were injured in a stampede when a car headed for the pits.

Saturday May 14, 1949 (Pole day): Thirty-three spectators were injured, one in serious condition, when a section of B Stand collapsed. The aging grandstand was overloaded far beyond its capacity with fans attending the pole day time trials. Many people croweded the aisles and stairs. The supports gave way without warning, and two of the boxes fell into a hole in the ground underneath the structure. At least 33 people were injured. About eleven spectators were sent to the infield hospital, treated for various injures, and released. About 22 persons were transferred by ambulance to either Methodist Hospital (11 persons reported), St. Vincent's Hospital (1 person reported), or Memorial Hospital (10 persons reported). The most severely injured was Leslie Clark, 42, from outside of Indianapolis, IN, who received head injuries. No people were killed from the accident.

May 30, 1955 (Race day): In the aftermath of Bill Vukovich's fatal accident, debris scattered along the backstrech, and struck two safety patrol memebers in a utility vehicle. Their injuries were reported, and treated at the hospital, but were not fatal.

Saturday May 29, 1971 (Race day): The Dodge Challenger pace car, driven by local auto dealer Eldon Palmer, crashed into a photographers' stand at the end of the pits. The stand collapsed, and injured 29 people. Dr. Vicente Alvarez, a freelance photographer from Argentina, was one of two on the stand who were seriously injured. Alvarez survived, and died around 1998. Speedway President Tony Hulman, who was riding in the pace car was among the injured, suffering a sprained ankle. Also riding in the pace car were ABC-TV's Chris Schenkle, and astronaut John Glenn. During the practice runs days before the race, Palmer used an orange flag (some reports say it was an orange cone) to mark his braking point. It is not unusual for the pace car to be traveling up to 125 mph at that point. Unfortunately, the flag had been removed by mistake, and Palmer was well beyond the brake point before he realized it was missing. Instead of perilously driving back onto the racing surface, he stood on the brakes and plowed right into the stand. In the years immediately following the accident, the celebrity pace car driver typically chosen was someone with previous racing experience. Although those rules have been since relaxed, the celebrity driver is still required to undergo lengthly training and testing trials. In years following, the area south of the pits was reconfigured for safety purposes.

Monday May 28, 1973 (Race day): The 1973 race was scheduled for Monday May 28, the Memorial Day holiday itself. At the start, Salt Walther crashed on the frontstrech. His car flipped up into the catchfence in front of the Paddock grandstand. Fuel and debris sprayed unto the spectators in the front few rows of the grandstand, and several of the steel posts were broken. Methodist Hospital treated several spectators were injured. Injuries included burns, back injuries, and numerous bruises and contusions resulting from flying debris. Reports of upwards of thirteen spectators significantly injured, and unknown number of unreported insignificant injuries. Among those listed as injured: Jerry Fahey, 38, of Rockford, IL (cornea burns), James Wood of Indianapolis, IN (ankle), James Allen, 27, of Rommey, IN (back), Sue Rankin, 15 (multiple burns), Diana Dasey, 14 (cornea and facial burns), Dorothy West, 21, of Wingate, IN (facial burns), David Keller, 38, of Perrysville, IN (cornea burns), Robert Brenner, 22, of Alberton, NY (burns on hand), Dr. Warren Babcock, 41, of Rockford, IL (facial burns).

Sunday May 24, 1981 (Race day): On the 64th lap, driver Danny Ongias was involved in a horrific accident in the third turn. His car suddenly veered into the outside wall was demolished, and bust into flames. Ongias would recover. Three Speedway Safety Patrol members that were standing outside the track were either struck by debris through the fence or burned by fire as the car went by. They were attended to by track officials.

Thursday May 22, 1986 (Carburation Day): On the final day of practice, Dennis Firestone, George Snider, and Roberto Moreno crashed coming out of turn four. Josele Garaza also became involved when his car was damaged while parked in the pits. Firestone's car proceeded to crash into the pit wall, and considerable debris blocked the pits. None of the drivers were injured seriously, however at least three bystanders were injured by debris. Don Cox, 60, a crew member on the Machinists Union team of Garza, suffered a scalp contusion and a sprained ankle. Michael Arnold, 30, a crew member on Pancho Carter's team, suffered contusions to the right kneee and abrasions to the right hip. Fred Hager, 75, a spectator, was struck by a tire, and suffered abrasions to the left kneee and lower left leg. All three were treated at the track hospital and released.

Sunday May 24, 1992 (Race day): On lap 46, John Andretti was making his second pit stop. He came in too fast, and slid into two tires laid out for service. The fueler Gary Buckner, fell over the pit wall and suffered minor scrapes. Ted Bittner, the air jack operator, fell on top of Buckner, and a tire hit him, and he suffered an ankle injury. A third crew member, Bill Martin, suffered a knee injury. In addition, in a seperate incident, John Tzouanakis of Mario Andretti's pit crew suffered a chipped bone in his foot. None of the four injuries were serious, and all were either treated at the track or at Methodist Hospital, and all were released. Later, on the 137th lap, Arie Luyendyk crashed in the northchute. Debris from his car went into the turn four grandstands and injured two spectators; Roderick Lanum, 56, of Indianapolis, who suffered a fractured wrist; and a second unidentified spectator.

Sunday May 30, 1999 (Race day): On the 11th lap, several cars pitted under the caution. Rookie driver Robby McGehee was pitting, meanwhile Jimmy Kite was exiting his pit, but was bumped by Johnny Unser, damaging his steering, and sending Kite out of control. Hard on the brakes, Kite hit McGehee's chief mechanic Steve Fried, running over him, and sending him flipping across McGehee's car. He suffered serious head and chest injureies, and was transported to Methodist Hospital with stable vital signs, listed in critical condition. Fried was released from the hospital on June 15. Fried's injury helped usher in the use of helmets for all pit crew members. On August 29, 1999, Fried reportedly returned to work on a limited basis.

Sunday May 25, 2003 (Race day): During a pit stop around the halfway point, Shinji Nakano slid into his pit stall, and made contact with his crew. Doug Hardwick of Indianapolis, the airjack and ventman for Nakano was taken to Methodist Hospital due to an injured leg.

Sunday May 28, 2006 (Race day): On the 66th lap, driver Tomas Scheckter spun and crashed coming out of turn four. Scheckter's car slid and hit the attenuator at the end of the pit wall and debris from the car scattered onto the track. Moments later, driver Jaques Lazier ran over part of a broken wing, which flung it into the Tower Terrace grandstand. Five spectators were injured and taken to the Clarion Medical Center at the Speedway. The most serious was struck in the head, and another was also hit by debris. Three more were reportedly injured as fans scurried to avoid the debris. All five people were treated for minor bruises and abrasions and released.

Sunday May 27, 2007 (Race day): On the 13th lap, many cars pitted under the caution. A.J. Foyt Racing drivers Al Unser, Jr. and Darren Manning both were among the cars in the pits. As Manning was exiting his pit stall, Unser, Jr. was entering his. Manning clipped the left foot of Unser's right-rear tire changer, Dan Brown of Chicago, Illinois. Brown suffered multiple fractures to his left foot, and was transported to Methodist Hospital. He was released the following morning, and returned to Chicago for further surgury.

Friday May 9, 2008 (Fast Friday practice): In the pit area, Danica Patrick was entering her pit stall. A crew member, Chuck Bucknum, 63, from Mario Moraes' team (Dale Coyne Racing), was walking through the pits and was struck. As he tried to jump out of the way, the front wing clipped his leg, tripping him and causing him to be knocked into the air and he came down with his head hitting the rear wheel. He fell to the pavement unconscious. He was taken to Methodist Hospital where he was treated for a concussion, along with scalp and facial abrasions.

September 14, 2008 During the Inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Moto GP, heavy winds and rain, remnants from Hurricane Ike, pelted the Speedway on race day. Two fans were injured when the Yamaha tent in the midway blew over. They were taken to Methodist Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and their names were not released.

May 30, 2010 As the leaders were taking the white flag for the final lap, Mike Conway made contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay, which sent Conway's car up and into the catchfence in the north short chute. The car ripped down a section of fencing, and debris went into the spectator area and underneath the North Vista grandstand. Two unidentified male spectators were treated for minor injuries at Clarian Emergency Medical Center in the infield and were released. The spectators were seated in the North Vista, East Section 47, Rows A and G. One of the spectators received stitches for a cut in the forehead, the other suffered a head laceration that required no stitches.

Date	Name	Hometown	Distinction	Event	Incident Description
8/19/1909	William Bourque, 26	Springfield, MA	Driver	Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race	Borque was accompanied with riding mechanic Harry Holcomb. On the 58th lap of the 250-mile race, Bourque was witnessed to have glanced backwards momentarily at other cars on the frontstrech. At that moment, a wheel slipped, hit a rut, and the car flipped over in a ditch. Holcomb was thrown from the car and was killed instantly. Bourque was trapped under the car and suffered severe injuries, and never regained conciousness after being transferred to the hospital.
8/19/1909	Harry Holcomb, 22	Springfield, MA	Riding Mechanic	Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race
8/21/1909	Claude Kellum, 35	Indianapolis, IN	Riding Mechanic	Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race	During the 300-mile race, Kellum was relieving riding mechanic Robert Lyne, the mechanic for Charlie Merz. While driving down the frontstrech, Merz blew a tire, and the car flipped up into the stands, pinning Merz underneath. Kellum was thrown from the car, and died from his injuries an hour later. Spectators Homer Joliff and James West were also killed by the crashed car.
8/21/1909	Howard H. "Homer" Joliff	Indianapolis, IN	Spectator
8/21/1909	James West	Indianapolis, IN	Spectator
7/6/1910	Tony Kincaid	Indianapolis, IN	Driver	Testing	Crash testing a stock car
5/30/1911	Sam Dickson	unknown	Riding Mechanic	Race Lap 2	Crashed Backstreach with driver Arthur Greiner
6/26/1913	Harry Martin	Indianapolis, IN	Driver	Testing	Crash
5/31/1919	Nicholas Mollinard	France	Riding Mechanic	Race Lap 45	Crash on the 45th lap in turn three. Both Mollinard and Thurman were killed at the scene.
5/31/1919	Arthur Thurman	Washington, DC	Driver	Race Lap 45
5/31/1919	Louis LeCocq	France	Driver	Race	On the 97th lap, the gas tank exploded on the frontstrech. Both LeCocq and Bandini were killed at the scene.
5/31/1919	Robert Bandini	Los Angeles, CA	Riding Mechanic	Race
5/30/1923	Bert Shoup	Lafayette, IN	Spectator	Race Lap 22	Struck by crashed car of Tom Alley on Backstrech
5/27/1926	Herbert Jones	Indianapolis, IN	Driver	Qualifacations	Crash Turn Four
5/30/1929	Bill Spence	Los Angeles, CA	Driver	Race	On the 14th lap, Spense's car swerved and the car hit the inside wall in turn two. Spence was thrown from the car, and died en route to City Hospital. His fatality was announced after the race.
5/30/1930	Paul Marshall	Indianapolis, IN	Riding Mechanic	Race Lap 29	Crash Turn Turn Three with driver Cy Marshall
5/26/1931	Joe Caccia	Bryn Mawr, PA	Driver	Practice	Crash, both Grover and Caccia were killed at the scene.
5/26/1931	Clarence Grover	Haverford, PA	Riding Mechanic	Practice	Crash, both Grover and Caccia were killed at the scene.
5/30/1931	Wilbur C. Brink, 12	Indianapolis, IN	Bystander	Race	On the 162nd lap, driver Billy Arnold crashed and a wheel bounced out of the track and across the street to 2316 Georgetown Road and struck and killed 12-year old Brink while he was playing in his front yard.
5/26/1932	Harry Cox	Indianapolis, IN	Riding Mechanic	Practice	Crashed over wall in turn two and hit a tree, while serving as riding mechanic for driver Benny Benefield (who was injured)
5/27/1932	Milton Jones	Cleveland, OH	Driver	Practice	Crash Turn One
5/28/1933	Bill Denver	Audobon, PA	Driver	Practice	Crash Turn Three, both Hurst and Denver were killed at the scene.
5/28/1933	Bob Hurst	Indianapolis, IN	Riding Mechanic	Practice
5/30/1933	Mark Billman	Indianapolis, IN	Driver	Race Lap 79	Crash Turn One
5/30/1933	Lester Spangler	Los Angeles, CA	Driver	Race Lap 132	Crash Turn One
5/30/1933	G.L. Gordon	Lafayette, IN	Riding Mechanic	Race Lap 132	Crash Turn One
5/25/1934	Peter Kreis	Knoxville, TN	Driver	Practice	Driver Kreis was accompanied by riding mechanic Bob Hahn. During a practice run, the car jumped the wall in the south end of the track, rode along the top of the wall, and struck a tree (the same tree where Harry Cox was killed in 1932). The car tore in half, and the halves landed 25 feet apart. Kreis was thrown from the car and killed instantly. Hahn was pinned in the wrecked car, and died a few minutes later.
5/25/1934	Robert Hahn	Chino, CA	Riding Mechanic	Practice
5/21/1935	Johnny Hannon	Morristown, PA	Driver	Practice	Rookie Hannon crashed in turn three on his first practice lap at speed.
5/21/1935	Hartwell "Stubby" Stubblefield	Los Angeles, CA	Driver	Qualifications	On the eighth lap of their ten-lap qualifying run, the car suffered a steering problem and the car went over the wall in the southchute. The car landed about 200 feet outside of the track. Both Stubblefield and Whitaker died of head injuries before arriving at City Hospital.
5/21/1935	Leo Whitaker	Los Angeles, CA	Riding Mechanic	Qualifications
5/30/1935	Clay Weatherly	Cincinnati, OH	Driver	Race	On the 9th lap of the race, Weatherly crashed through the wall in turn four, in nearly the same place Hannon crashed a week earlier.
5/27/1937	George Warford	Indianapolis, IN	Fireman	Practice	During practice on May 27, Overton Phillips crashed on the mainstrech pit area, striking Warford and Rhode. Warford died at the scene. Rhode died of his injuries five days later on June 1.
6/1/1937	Otto Rhode	Toledo, OH	Crew Member	Practice
5/28/1937	Albert Opalko	Gary, IN	Riding Mechanic	Practice	Crash with driver Frank McGurk Turn One
5/30/1938	Everett Spence	Terra Haute, IN	Spectator	Race Lap 45	Struck by wheel from Emil Andres' car in Turn Two
5/30/1939	Floyd Roberts	Van Nuys, CA	Driver	Race Lap 107	Crash Backstrech
9/20/1939	Lawson Harris	unknown	Riding Mechanic	Testing	Crash Turn One with driver Babe Stapp
5/7/1940	George Bailey	Indianapolis, IN	Driver	Practice	Crash
5/30/1947	Shorty Cantlon	Indianapolis, IN	Driver	Race Lap 41	Crash Turn One
5/16/1948	Ralph Hepburn	Van Nuys, CA	Driver	Practice	Crash Turn Three
6/3/1949	George Anthony Metzler, Jr.	Indianapolis, IN	Driver	Driver's Test	Crash Turn One during practice; died in hosptial 6/3
5/15/1953	Chet Miller	Glendale, CA	Driver	Practice	On the last day of practice before Pole Day time trials was scheduled to be held, Miller suffered the fatal crash in turn 1
5/30/1953	Carl Scarborough	Clarkston, MI	Driver	Race	During record-hot temperatures for the running of the 500, numerous drivers sought relief during the race. At about the 190th lap, driver Scarborough came to the pits suffering from heat prostration, and succomb at the infield hospital.
5/16/1955	Manuel Ayulo	Burbank, CA	Driver	Practice	Crash Turn One
5/30/1955	Bill Vukovich, 36	Fresno, CA	Driver	Race	The two-time defending champion was driving towards a third straight win at Indy. On the 57th lap, Vukovich was leading by about a half mile when on the backstrech, Rodger Ward spun with a broken axle and flipped over. Al Keller swerved to avoid Ward, hit the wall, and crashed into Johnny Boyd. Boyd skidded and crashed into the side of Vukovich's car, and Vukovich's car went over the wall, smashed into the ground, and burst into flames. Vukovich was killed instantly. The announcement of the fatality was made later in the race on the live radio broadcast by Sid Collins.
5/15/1957	Keith Andrews, 36	Colorado Springs, CO	Driver	Practice	Entering turn four, Andrews spun, hitting the inside wall, bouncing back and hitting the wall several other times. Andrews was killed instantly
5/30/1958	Pat O'Connor, 29	North Vernon, IN	Driver	Race	After confusion during the pace lap, the field formed up and took the green flag. Entering turn three, Dick Rathmann and Ed Elisian got together and spun, triggering a 15-car pileup. O'Connor touched wheels with another car and flipped over. The car caught fire and he was killed instantly.
5/17/1959	Jerry Unser, 26	Lakewood, CA	Driver	Practice	During practice on May 2, Unser lost control in turn four, spun and flipped down the mainstrech. The car caught fire and Unser suffered significant burns. Unser was taken to the hospital, where he died about two weeks later on May 17.
5/19/1959	Bob Cortner, 32	Redlands, CA	Driver	Practice	The day after passing his rookie test, Cortner crashed in turn three after his car was pushed by a wind gust. He was killed instantly.
5/30/1960	Fred Linder	Indianapolis, IN	Spectator	Infield	On the backstrech, over 125 spectators paid $5-$10 extra to sit on a homemade scaffolding, haphazzardly erected along the inside fence. When the field drove by on the first parade lap, the combined movement of the spectators standing and waving caused a shift, and the scaffolding collapsed, killing Linder and Craig, and injuring about 40 others.
5/30/1960	William Craig	Zionsville, IN	Spectator	Infield
5/12/1961	Tony Bettenhausen, 45	Tinley Park, IL	Driver	Practice	Bettenhausen was testing a car for Paul Russo when he lost control on the mainstrech. A small bolt fell off, allowing the front wheels to misalign when the brakes were applied. The car rode up onto the outside wall and slid down, ripping the fencing, and came to rest upsidedown. A small fire was coming from the rear, and Bettenhausen was killed instantly.
5/30/1961	John Masariu	Danville, IN	Fireman	Race	On the 127th lap, driver Eddie Johnson spun out, but did not suffer significant damage and he was not injured. A safety fire truck went to his aid. Masariu, who was a basketball coach at nearby Ben Davis High School and was serving as a safety worker, fell off the back of the fire truck. A moment later, the truck accidentally backed over him, and he was injured fatally.
5/30/1964	Eddie Sachs, 35	Detroit, MI	Driver	Race	On the second lap of the race, the field was coming out of turn four and onto the mainstrech. MacDonald swerved into the inside wall, and the car exploded into flames. A huge black cloud of fire and smoke rose into the air, completely blocking the track. Several cars, including Sachs, crashed into MacDonald's car, and Sachs' car also exploded. Sachs was killed instantly, and the announcement of his death was made over the Speedway public address system by Tom Carnegie. On live radio, Sid Collins delivered a fitting, impromptu eulogy. MacDonald would be declared dead at the track hospital a short time after. The race resumed after about a two-hour delay.
5/30/1964	Dave MacDonald, 26	El Monte, CA	Driver	Race
5/14/1966	Charles J. Rodeghier ("Chuck Rodee"), 38	Indianapolis, IN	Driver	Qualifications	On his final warm-up lap, Rodee spun in turn one at the bottom of the track, and crashed into the outside wall. After being taken to Methodist Hospital, he was pronounced dead two hours later of internal injuries.
5/7/1968	Mike Spence	England	Driver	Practice	Driving the Turbine belonging to teammate Greg Weld near the end of the day, Spence lost control in turn one and crashed into the outside wall. Observers believe a tire came loose and hit his helmet. After being taken to Methodist Hospital, Spence died four hours later of head injuries.
5/18/1972	Jim Malloy, 36	Denver, CO	Driver	Practice	On Sunday morning, May 14, Malloy lost control of the car in turn three and hit the outside wall head on. Malloy was unconscious and pinned in the collapsed car. Four days later, he died at the hospital, never having regained consciousness of head injuries, fractures, and burns.
5/12/1973	Art Pollard, 46	Medford, OR	Driver	Qualifications	During practice on the morning of pole day, Pollard lost control of his car in turn two and hit the outside wall. The car caught fire and spun into the infield, rolling several times. An hour later, Pollard was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital. He reportedly suffered serious head injuries and possible flame inhalation.
7/2/1973	David Earl "Swede" Savage, 26	Santa Ana, CA	Driver	Race	After two days of rain delays, the race was held Wednesday May 30. On his 58th lap, just after a pit stop, Savage lost control coming out of turn four and hit the inside wall. The car was demolished and caught fire, burning the full fuel load of nearly 75 gallons. Savage was taken to the hospital with relatively minor injuries but serious burns. 33 days later on July 2nd, Savaged reportedly died from complications related to contaminated plasma. Dr. Steve Olvey wrote that Savage contracted hepatitis B from a transfusion, causing liver failure.
5/30/1973	Armando Moreno Teran, 22	Santa Monica, CA	Crew Member	Race	Teran was the pit board sign man for Graham McRae. On the 60th lap, McRae's teammate Swede Savage suffered a terrible crash in turn 4. Teran started sprinting up the pit lane. At the same time, a fire truck was signaled to head to the scene. Cleon Reynolds, the Chief of the Speedway Fire Department, signaled for fire/safety truck driver Jerry Flake to proceed northbound up the pit lane to the crash scene. Flake was stationed at the south end of the pits. Flake, driving northbound, struck Teran and tossed his body about 50 feet. Teran suffered crushed ribs and a broken skull, and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 4:23 p.m. The incident was witnessed by thousands of spectators, as it occurred on the pit lane right at the start/finish line. It was erroneously reported by media that Flake was driving the wrong way, as was at fault; at the time, safety trucks were permitted to drive in the opposite direction of the racing cars. The following year, USAC prohibited safety trucks from driving in the opposite direction.
5/15/1982	Gordon Smiley, 33	Grapevine, TX	Driver	Qualifications	Smiley lost control and spun entering turn three on his final warm up lap, he possibly overcorrected, and the car crashed head-on into the wall in the middle of turn three. He was killed instantly
5/24/1987	Lyle G. Kurtenbach, 41	Rothschild, WI	Spectator	Race	On the 131st lap, driver Tony Bettenhausen exited the pits. One of the wheels was not properly secured, and in the third turn, he lost the wheel. Driver Roberto Guererro came up behind and hit the wheel with his nosecone. The wheel bounced up and over the catch fence in the northchute. The wheel came down and struck and killed Kurtenbach, who was sitting in the top row of the "K" grandstand. The wheel came to rest in the tunnel in the northchute. The resulting damage to Guerrero's car, a broken nosecone (which was replaced) and more importantly, a broken clutch master cylinder inside, directly led to Guerrero losing the race. His car became stuck in gear, and stalled exiting the pits, while leading, on his final pit stop.
5/29/1991	Stephen C. White, 31	Indianapolis, IN	Trespasser	Trespassing	Three days after the 1991 race, White, who was intoxicated, illegally entered the grounds of the Speedway late at night and drove a truck around the track, striking a van and was killed in the accident.
5/15/1992	Edward Jovy Marcelo, 27	Phillipines	Driver	Practice	Driving at about 172 mph in the apron of turn one, the car made a sharp jerk and hit the outside wall in the southchute. He pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital
5/17/1996	Scott Everets Brayton, 37	Coldwater, MI	Driver	Practice	Brayton had qualified for the pole position for the 1996 race on Saturday May 11. Five days later, Brayton was testing a back-up car during practice. At 12:17 p.m., he likely ran over a piece of debris in turn four or possibly down the frontstrech, which punctured the right rear tire. In the south short chute, his right rear tire suffered rapid deflation, and the car broke into a spin in turn 2. The car hit the wall hard with the left side, and slid to a stop down the backstrech. Brayton was killed instantly of basilar skull fracture. He was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital at 12:50 p.m.
10/22/2003	Tony Renna, 26	Deland, FL	Driver	Testing	On a cold morning, Renna was participating in a private tire test for his new team, Target Chip Ganassi Racing. On his fourth lap, Renna spun in turn three and the car went airborne into the catch fence of the northchute. The catchfence and railing of the seating area at the location of the crash was visibly damaged. Renna was pronounced dead on arrival at Methodist Hosptial from severe internal injuries.
8/6/2004	Art Morris, 64	Anderson, IN	Safety Patrol worker	Infield	In the infield at approximately 7:30 AM during a practice day for the Brickyard 400, Morris lost control of a motor scooter and struck a concrete barrier. He was pronounced dead at 10:30 AM at Methodist Hospital from head and arm injuries.

Drivers in Race	16
Drivers in Qualifications	5
Drivers in Practice	17
Drivers in Testing	3
Drivers in Driver's Test	1
Total Number of Drivers	42

Riding Mechanics	13
Spectators at Track	7
Pit Crew Members	2
Firemen	2
Safety Patrol workers	1
Bystanders	1
Trespassers	1