PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — When IndyCar driver Jack Harvey crashed in Texas last year, he had to get looked at by medical personnel as soon as possible.
"It's never fun no matter where you are going into any medical center because it's kind of a clinical environment. It's all pretty bleak," he said.
Harvey and all the other drivers will have doctors a little closer should something happen.
Indy Car and Indiana University Health teamed up to build a state-of-the-art trailer that's now a mobile medical unit is parked very close to the track.
Dr. Julia Vaizer is IndyCar's medical director and is on-site for every race.
She says they have all the equipment needed to react quickly.
"We can save them a trip to the hospital. We can do that X-ray ourselves. And then we have an array of orthopedic supplies where we can stabilize the injury or provide some sort of care and then ensure a rapid follow-up for definitive care," Vaizer said.
"You don't know what level of emergency is going to be required sometimes. So, for IndyCar to be able to produce the medical trailer like they have and keep it as close to the paddock as possible, I think it's amazing and it's not just good for the drivers. It's good for anybody associated with a team. Even just being people in the paddock sometimes. I think it's great," said Harvey.
As it turned out, Harvey missed a race last season because he failed the cognitive test he was given after this hard hit.
But he's ready for a new season and happy to have the doctors and nurses so close just in case.
