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Abstract: This presentation chronicles the development of safety innovations for mitigation of driver injuries in an open cockpit open wheel single seater race car. Specific injury risks are presented, and the solutions arrived at to mitigate those risks. The journey begins in 1973 when injury and death were an accepted hazard of motorsport. The injuries up to that point in time were predominantly due to fire. That issue was addressed but remains a risk.
During the 80’s severe foot and ankle injuries were common. These were severe injuries for which the recommended treatment was amputation. In 1992, two well known drivers sustained severe lower extremity injuries. Coupled with injuries sustained by another driver, all of whom became my patients, lead to the beginning of accident and Injury analysis in motorsports. This occurred through a collaboration with General Motors Motorsports Technology Group, represented by John Melvin. This collaboration resulted in the first computer simulation of a racing crash. The on-board Accident Data Recorder, used to measure chassis g’s became an integral part of the IndyCar safety program starting in 1993. In 2004 in ear accelerometers were added to the package. They remain the mainstay of data collected in accident investigation.
In the past two decades multiple safety innovations have been developed and implemented. Thes include Frontal Head Restraints (HANS) that addressed prevention of Basilar Skull fracture fatalities. Custom made foam seat inserts to address spinal fractures. Head surround to lessen the risk of head injury, specifically mTBI (concussion). The SAFER BARRIER was first deployed in 2002 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It has prevented serious injury and death in motorsports throughout North America.
This presentation emphasizes the importance of methodically reaching a solution to a problem. An important part of that method is the consideration of potential unintended consequences of the solution.
Bio: His involvement in motorsports started by accident. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1971 with a degree in Chemical Engineering, IU Medical School with and MD degree in 1975, completing a Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at IU in 1979, and a Fellowship in Spinal Surgery at the University of Toronto in 1980, he joined Orthopaedics Indianapolis in July of 1980 and started in the practice of Orthopaedic Surgery. As a rite of passage the newest member of the group had the task of “taking call” on all of the holidays for that first year in practice. Failing to read the fine print in his contract he was unaware that in Indianapolis “race day” is a holiday in addition to Memorial Day! His plans for “Race Day” went from at the track (as an avid photographer he had landed a position taking pictures from outside the turn 3 wall) to sitting in the hospital being “on call”. That was May 24th 1981 and Danny Ongias had a date with the 3rd turn wall at THE SPEEDWAY. His injuries were severe including an injury to his right leg for which the recommended treatment was amputation. Never one to color inside the lines, Trammell didn’t do as recommended. Ongias leg remained with him for the rest of his life, and Trammell embarked on a lifelong affair with motorsports.
Trammell became the de facto Orthopaedic Consultant to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway tending to every driver injured there from then until 1996 and as an “assistant” to Dr. Kevin Scheid his partner and Indy Racing League Orthopaedist . From 1984 – 2005 Trammell served as Director of Medical Services for CART. Working with Dr. Stephen Olvey, CART’s Director of Medical Affairs, they built a traveling medical team that provided onsite medical car to drivers and teams, and first response on track to and stabilization of an injured driver that eventually needed transport to a Level 1 Trauma Center. That response was at its zenith on September 13, 2001 (two days after 911). That day Alex Zinardi lost both of his legs above the knee in a crash in Lausitz Germany, surviving injuries thought to be unsurviveable, in a large part due to the rapid response of the medical – safety team that Drs. Olvey, Trammell and Lon Bromley built.
Trammell retired from his surgical practice at the end of 2012, but continued to see patients in consultation and 2nd opinion at OrthoIndy through September 2017. Since 2005 he has been a medical, safety consultant to the Indy Racing League / IndyCar and since 2014 serves as the Drivers’ Medical Advocate. Working with Jeff Horton, Director of Engineering and Safety for IndyCar, they have brought about many innovations that improved the safety of racing drivers. Trammell continues in that role for IndyCar. He carries out crash analysis using an Accident Data recorder, Ear Piece Accelerometers , safety investigation of the crashed race car and video to better understand the function of he race car and the environment in mitigation of driver injury.
Trammell was asked by the late Prof. Sid Watkins to join the FIA Expert Advisory Group for promotion of driver safety in 2000, and as a member of that group became a Founding Fellow of the FIA Institute for Motorsports Safety and Sustainability. This association afforded him the opportunity to be a part of the ongoing development of driver protection systems on a worldwide scale and to share this information through the International Council of Motorsports Sciences of which he is a founding member.
He is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award as well as other honors and awards.
He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Class of 23 along with his partner Dr. Stephen Olvey. They are the first physicians to be so honored.
Wife Rhonda, an accomplished racing driver herself, have 4 grown children between them and spend their “leisure time” perfecting their golf game, which is a newly acquired passion.
Trammell’s goal for driver safety is “to know that an IndyCar driver is unlikely to be injured in the event of a crash, but I want to be the only one to know that!”
Host: Matt Panzer/Bronek Gepner