Near-Fatal Crash That Tragically Ended 1983 Cup Champ’s Career - “Wish I Had Died”
NASCAR
1983 Cup Series champion Bobby Allison had a legendary career; he is undoubtedly one of the greatest ever drivers in NASCAR history.
Unfortunately, a tragedy in the 1988 Pocono race ended his career. In an interview, he talked about the near-fatal incident, where he was declared dead initially.
Allison’s fatal crash
On the first lap of the Pocono race in 1988, Allison crashed; however, he avoided the outside barrier initially. But then Jocko Maggiacomo t-boned him, which nearly killed him. It took almost 30 minutes for safety officers to remove Allison from his car. One of the safety officers, Bob Nolen, said, “We knew he was a hurtin’ individual. It was one of the hardest hits I’ve ever seen.”
Credit - Dailymotion
What happened to Bobby in the hospital
When safety officers took Allison to the hospital, he was declared dead initially. However, a proper evaluation and medical experts saved his life. They had to admit him to intensive care, where he took almost 6 weeks to recover. After that, he entered a rehab program and regained his senses after several months. Although he tried to come back in 1990, he could not compete again in NASCAR.
Remembering the tragic accident, he said, “I wish I had died. My life was great then.” He further said, “For two solid months I couldn’t add two and two. I was conscious, but I had no idea who was who or where I was or what year it was. I sat and cried, like a 2-year-old. The world was really mixed up to me. Early on, I was really mad that they let me live.”
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