Motorsports: Justin Wilson crash mars Hunter-Reay’s IndyCar win

Ryan Hunter-Reay won the crash-filled IndyCar ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway, where the focus was on an accident involving Andretti Autosport teammate Justin Wilson.

Wilson was airlifted out of the track with a head injury after he was hit by a large piece of debris that broke off Sage Karam’s car when Karam spun into the wall. Wilson’s car veered left and directly into an interior wall.

Wilson was swarmed by the safety crew and airlifted by helicopter from the track. IndyCar gave no details of his injuries beyond confirming the British driver sustained a head injury.

“It’s just a tough one right now,” said Michael Andretti, car owner for both Wilson and Hunter-Reay. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Justin right now. We’re going to see. Hopefully he’s OK.”

Karam was taken to a hospital with an injury to his right foot.

IndyCar had a subdued victory lane and Hunter-Reay was not sprayed with the traditional confetti.

The American said his thoughts were only with Wilson, an extremely popular driver in the paddock who speaks on behalf of his peers regarding safety and competition.

“All I know is that he was unconscious, he was not responding and he was airlifted,” Hunter-Reay said. “That’s all very bad. I’m very worried right now.”

The race resumed after the accident with seven laps remaining and Hunter-Reay picked his way through the field. He passed Juan Pablo Montoya, Takuma Sato and then used a bold inside pass of leader Gabby Chaves to take the lead with five to go. Chaves then appeared to have an engine failure that brought out the caution with three to go. The race ended under yellow.

Josef Newgarden was second and IndyCar points leader Juan Pablo Montoya finished third.

Graham Rahal, who was second in the standings at the start of the race, was involved in an early crash. Montoya’s cushion went from nine points to 35 with next Sunday’s finale in Sonoma set to decide the title.

The finale is worth double points, and six drivers will head to California in contention for the title. Hunter-Reay is mathematically eliminated, but picked up his second win of the season in what’s been a disappointing year for Andretti and Honda.

NHRA

Richie Crampton raced to his fourth Top Fuel victory of the season to close out a record-setting day at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

Top Fuel and Funny Car teams took advantage of cool, overcast conditions at Brainerd International Raceway to break all four national records in those categories.

In Top Fuel, Antron Brown set the elapsed-time record at 3.680 seconds, and Spencer Massey broke the speed mark at 332.75 mph. In Funny Car, Jack Beckman set the time record at 3.901, and Matt Hagan broke the speed mark at 329.58. Hagan also had the quickest Funny Car time in history at 3.879, and Shawn Langdon the quickest Top Fuel time at 3.664, but they failed to certify those times.

Crampton beat Brittany Force in the final round with a 3.695 at 325.30.

“This race is going to go down in the history books,” Crampton said. “It was just some amazing racing today and there were some super-fast race cars out there. I keep forgetting that I ran a (3.69) in the final, because winning the event is so important.”

Robert Hight won in Funny Car, Erica Enders in Pro Stock, and Eddie Krawiec in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Formula One

Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix from pole, holding off Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg and padding his lead in the F1 championship standings.

The defending champion was two seconds ahead at the finish line for his sixth victory of the season in 11 races. Rosberg had a poor start and dropped from second to fourth before regaining the second position. The two Mercedes cars were dominant throughout the race.

Hamilton’s 39th career victory gave him a 28-point lead over Rosberg in the drivers’ standings.

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Ontario man killed in 10 Freeway crash

ONTARIO >> A 23-year-old man was killed early Sunday morning when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the center divider of the 10 Freeway.

Christopher Sandoval of Ontario was driving a blue Kia at a high rate of speed east on the freeway just after 4:40 a.m., according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

The crash, which occurred just west of the Mountain Avenue exit, pushed Sandoval’s vehicle into the No. 3 lane, where it was struck by a gold GMC Suburban, the Coroner’s Office reported.

Sandoval was taken to San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland, where he died, authorities said.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the fatality.

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La Verne man killed in Glendora motorcycle crash identified

GLENDORA >> Coroner’s officials Sunday identified a 23-year-old La Verne man who died after his motorcycle collided with two cars along Arrow Highway on Saturday afternoon.

Nathan Puga died in the 12:04 p.m. crash on westbound Arrow Highway, just east of Sunflower Avenue, in an unincorporated county area near Glendora, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Investigator Betsy Magdaleno said.

He was riding a 2015 Kawasaki Ninja at about 80 mph in the left-hand lane just before the fatal collision, Officer K. Croxford of the California High Patrol’s Baldwin Park area office said in a written statement. In front of him was a 2010 Volkswagen Passat traveling at about 10 mph, having just made a left turn onto Arrow Highway from a parking lot.

“Due to Puga’s unsafe speed, he was unable to maintain control of his vehicle and struck the left side of the Volkswagen Passat,” Croxford said. “The force of his impact caused Puga to veer to the right before the Kawasaki overturned onto its left side.”

The motorcycle and rider then slid into the rear of a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta stopped along the curb.

Paramedics pronounced Puga dead at the scene, officials said. Neither driver was injured.

The investigation was ongoing, and witnesses are encouraged to contact the CHP’s Baldwin Park area office at 626-338-1164.

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Woman airlifted after collision in Chino

CHINO >> A woman was airlifted to a hospital Sunday after being involved in an early morning collision, Chino Valley Fire District officials said.

Firefighters responded to a two-vehicle traffic collision involving a small sport utility vehicle and dump truck at Chino Corona Road and Pine Avenue at 6:39 a.m., according to a news release from the fire district.

The female driver of the SUV — the lone occupant — had to be extricated, fire officials said.

The woman, in her late 50s, sustained major injuries, said district spokeswoman Massiel DeGuevara.

“Because of the speed of the crash, the firefighters — on the precautionary side — decided to airlift the female driver to a hospital,” said Chino police Lt. Bill Covington.

Based on witness reports, the dump truck was heading north on Chino Corona Road and had stopped at the light at Pine. When the light turn green, the male driver of the truck proceeded as the female driver of the black Dodge Nitro, heading east on Pine, ran a red light, authorities said. The two vehicles collided, causing the truck to roll over.

A photo of the crash provided by the fire district shows the hood of the Dodge had popped open and the front end smashed into the commercial truck.

The intersection was closed for about an hour, Covington said.

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Air bags on older Honda Accords may not inflate in crash

DETROIT >> U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating reports that air bags on some older Honda Accords may not inflate in a crash.

The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers about 384,000 cars from the 2008 model year.

The agency says in documents posted Friday that it received 19 consumer complaints that the air bag control computer failed in the Accord, which then was Honda’s top-selling model.

A driver in Belleview, Florida, was injured when his car hit a concrete wall at 50 miles per hour and the air bags didn’t inflate, according to a complaint filed with the agency. Several others complained that the computer had to be replaced to fix the problem and they were charged around $500.

“This also means that the safety of the vehicle passengers and operators are in jeopardy and potentially face serious injury or death,” another complainant wrote. People filing complaints are not identified in the agency’s database.

The agency says the malfunction causes the air bag warning light to illuminate on the dashboard and disables the air bags until repairs are made. Investigators will look into how often the problem happens and decide if a recall is needed.

Honda said it is cooperating with the investigation and will continue an internal review. The investigation is based on a small number of complaints, the company said in a statement.

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Man killed in Moreno Valley freeway crash is identified

MORENO VALLEY — A motorist killed in a crash at a freeway interchange in Moreno Valley was identified today as a local 24-year-old man.

The deadly wreck happened shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday, where Interstate 215 splits from the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Dwight Howard Jr. was driving his 1996 Honda sedan southbound on I-215, transitioning to the eastbound 60, when he apparently lost control and careened off the freeway, plummeting down an embankment and slamming into a concrete wall along the northbound 215.

The victim died at the scene. His passenger, a 23-year-old man, suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Riverside County Regional Medical Center for treatment.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Investigators to recommend manslaughter charge against Caitlyn Jenner over fatal Malibu crash

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators plan to submit evidence to the District Attorney’s Office next week that could potentially lead to a misdemeanor manslaughter charge against Caitlyn Jenner over a fatal traffic crash in Malibu, officials said today.

“We have completed the investigation and will present the case to the D.A.’s Office next week,” sheriff’s Lt. Patrick Mathers of the Malibu/Lost Hills Station told City News Service.

• PHOTOS: The Jenner crash scene in Malibu

Sheriff’s officials said their investigation determined that Jenner, then known as Bruce Jenner, was driving at an unsafe speed when the Feb. 7 collision occurred on Pacific Coast Highway near Corral Canyon Road. Sheriff’s Detective Richard Curry told the Los Angeles Times Jenner was not speeding, but was driving at an unsafe speed for the road conditions.

Surveillance video of the crash released in July appears to show the ex- Olympian rear-ending a white Lexus, which is forced into oncoming traffic and slams into an oncoming Hummer, killing the Lexus driver.

Relatives of the Lexus driver, 69-year-old Kim Howe, have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Jenner, who was not injured in the crash and now identifies as a woman.

Jenner was driving a Cadillac Escalade, hauling an off-road vehicle on a trailer. Shortly after the crash, authorities said it appeared that Howe’s Lexus had crashed into a black Toyota Prius whose driver had slowed or stopped for unknown reasons, prompting Jenner to rear-end the Lexus, pushing it into the path of the Hummer.

The video released in July appeared to show Jenner rear-ending the Lexus, pushing it into oncoming traffic, then striking the Prius, which was driven by Hollywood talent manager Jessica Marie Steindorff. Steindorff has also sued Jenner over the crash.

Curry told The Times that Steindorff was driving on a suspended license at the time of the crash, and she could face a criminal charge.

Once evidence is submitted by the sheriff’s department, the District Attorney’s Office will review it and have the final say over whether any charges are filed.

Jenner’s attorney, Philip Boesch, told City News Service in July he believes the surveillance video weighs in Jenner’s favor and confirmed that the crash “was simply a tragic accident.”

Shortly after the February crash, Jenner released a statement saying, “My heartfelt and deepest sympathies go out to the family and loves ones, and to all of those who were involved or injured in this terrible accident. It’s a devastating tragedy and I cannot pretend to imagine what this family is going through at this time. I am praying for them. I will continue to cooperate in every way possible.”

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Motorcyclist killed in Claremont freeway crash

CLAREMONT >> A motorcyclist was killed Wednesday in a crash involving at least one other vehicle on the 10 Freeway.

The crash was reported about 5:50 p.m. on the eastbound side of the freeway at Indian Hill Boulevard, said California Highway Patrol Officer Monica Posada.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, she said.

The eastbound carpool and left lanes were closed and a SigAlert was issued, according to the CHP.

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Two injured in multi-vehicle crash on 10 Freeway in San Bernardino

SAN BERNARDINO >> Two people were injured in a multi-vehicle crash that snarled traffic on the westbound 10 Freeway just east of Tippecanoe Avenue.

Two hours after the crash about 4:45 p.m., most of the lanes of the 10 Freeway were opened after the a crash that involved several vehicles and a large truck, authorities said.

A big rig ended up in the ditch off the 10 after colliding into several of the cars, according to the CHP.

• Photos: Accident on 10 Freeway in San Bernardino

For a time, traffic was backed up deep into Redlands, beyond Tennessee Street as fire and hazardous materials crews tended to the injured and worked to stop a small fuel leak from the big rig, which ended up on its right side in the ditch, said San Bernardino City Fire Batallion Chief Bob Evans.

About 30 gallons of fuel was leaked, Evans said.

• Video: CHP officer discusses 10 Freeway crash

Drivers were making U-turns in the center of the freeway, and driving onto onramps after traffic had come to a dead stop.

All lanes had been closed at around 5 p.m., but an hour later, three lanes had been opened, and by 6:40 p.m., traffic was moving at a slow clip through the Tippecanoe area.

Evans said two people — one including the driver of the big rig — were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

The crash happened near the spot where back in July a Greyhound passenger bus left the freeway, just shy of the Waterman Avenue exit, according to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Grady Stevens. No one was seriously injured after the bus crossed into the right shoulder, hopped a small gravel curb, descended a seven-foot hill, crashed through a chain-link fence, dropped another two feet and stopped on the upslope of a dirt hill behind a shopping center.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

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