MARTINSVILLE, Va. — A scary incident with injury took place following the Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville.
As first reported by Motorsport.com, multiple fans were injured after being struck by a black Chevrolet in the handicapped parking area beside the helipad located behind Turns 1 and 2 at Martinsville Speedway.
Bystanders say the accident happened about 30 minutes following the conclusion of the race. The vehicle involved in the incident jumped the line of traffic and plowed through fans waiting for drivers to come to the helipad.
“The parking lot was congested with vehicles and pedestrians,” Virginia State Police spokesperson Corrine Geller told Claire B. Lang on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio a few hours following the incident. “It’s near the helipad where drivers will come in and go out. A whole lot of folks were hanging around watching that take place. The vehicle (A black Chevrolet SSR Convertible) attempted to pass [a Jeep Patriot] in front of it.
“The Chevrolet went forward. It actually struck the Jeep Patriot and then struck several pedestrians nearby.”
A total of 22 pedestrians were struck by the vehicle. Thirteen were treated on site, nine were transported to a local hospital in Martinsville and two were taken down to Eden, North Carolina “for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.”
“Fortunately, there were no fatalities and none of the injuries are life threatening,” Geller added. “So that’s definitely the positive out of all of this.”
Martinsville Speedway released a statement following the race.
“A vehicular incident occurred following Sunday’s NASCAR race in the Martinsville Speedway parking lot. Multiple individuals were struck by a vehicle and the driver has been taken into police custody. Several people were treated onsite by emergency workers in the infield care center while others have been transported to a nearby hospital. We’ll monitor the situation closely with local authorities and work with them to provide updates.”
