Yours Truly

Yours Truly
Janet Fauble at home

Sunday, August 10, 2014

The worst imaginable has happened.

Tonight I watched Rush, a movie made by Ron Howard, about a pair of racing stars in the 70's.  It is a great movie telling the story of Niki Lauda and James Hunt, two competitors in the 70's, one a Brit, and the other an Austrian, who were both vying for competition as the world's champion race drivers.  

My knowledge of race car drivers is limited but there are many jokes about them. I did know a woman who was enamored with drivers of funny cars in California.  She was smitten with a driver and to some extent because of her, I learned a little about the racing world.  It has frankly never appealed to me, because i think that driving in circles round and round is worse than watching some old 78 play on your record player.  No fun for me.  But for some reason or other, it attracts a crowd. I have actually gone to one race to see cars in action, in Ontario probably, but still it did not turn me on at all.

So I watched the movie and really did like it. It is a good story, enthralling as can be, because it does focus on the special skills and talents of those who are crazy enough to participate in it.  Niki Lauda initially has an altercation with a playboy driver from England, James Hunt.  Niki spins out and that is how and when the story begins.

So tonight by accident or design, a sprint car Nascar driver, Kevin Ward, jr. , had the very same thing happen to him.  A champion driver name of Tony Stewart apparently hit his car so he spun out, and then unfortunately, had the misfortune to get out of his car to go onto the track to point this finger at Stewart who then whether by accident or intent struck him with his car.  Stewart's car did swerve then after he hit him, and people then rushed to Kevin Ward, jrs. side to help him.  He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital I just read.

Imagine seeing this movie, and getting through the horrors of it as it is a movie with a dreadful message about the safety of drivers and the danger in the game,  we now are treated to a real life story of hit and kill accident.  It has bothered me ever since I learned of it so that I had to finally say something about it.  A driver's worse nightmare coming true.

You see Kevin getting out of his car to be alive and well and angry.  Then you see how quickly it can all change.  Just like that, he is struck down and all life gone from him.  It is horrifying.

I feel sorry for all the participants, especially Tony Stewart. I do not know what kind of therapy it will take to get him back to normal life again...probably may never happen.

The movie addressed the problem when Niki was seriously injured in an accident that James Hunt caused to happen as well.  But at least in the film, the two men are able to settle the situation in a way that kept them friends.

How does one deal with death?  I wonder how Stewart will handle this, and fans and friends as well.
 I just cannot fully appreciate this strange and eerie coincidence of finally seeing Rush and then to learn of this terrible spinout that resulted in death on the same night.  Unbelievable!

1 comment:

  1. I did post the raw video which showed Stewart when he hit Ward, jr. as Kevin had gone out into the middle of the track to point his finger at Stewart who then drove up behind a car that had avoided Kevin standing in the road but Stewart somehow or other clipped him, then swerved probably feeling the impact. I noticed that a change in the video has occurred since I first saw it. There is a strange green blob covering the hit to ask if you want to see Stewart kill Kevin. If you hit it, it takes you to David Beckham for some reason. Weird the way Facebook or youtube plays games.

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