Maine speedway worker sent to hospital after ‘freak accident’

A staff member at Speedway 95 in Hermon was hospitalized on Sunday after a crash involving an ATV and a racecar that the track manager called a “freak accident.”

The crash happened at the Sport 4 (a division for four-cylinder race cars) feature event when the race had been slowed for a caution flag, Shawn Ryder, track manager and race director for Speedway 95 Promotions Inc., said in a statement.

A track employee drove onto the track on an ATV to help the car that the caution flag had come out for but was blinded by the sun and did not see the car coming at him, Ryder said.

When the drivers saw each other, both tried to avoid the crash but were unable to avoid a collision.

Both people involved in the crash were evaluated by the racetrack’s EMS coverage, and one was brought to a local hospital and released a few hours later with minor injuries, Ryder said.

“Again this was a freak accident that happened and track owner and management are

looking into safeguards to prevent this from happening again,” Ryder said. “We are glad both drivers are okay!”