When the car went airborne and slammed violently into the protective fence, shrapnel exploded into the stands sending multiple people to the hospital and injuring more than 30 fans attending the race.
This was one of the worst crashes in NASCAR and it occurred during the final lap of the 2013 DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway as part of the Xfinity series that leads up to the Daytona 500.
Sadly, this final-lap disaster of a crash wasn’t the only incident that occurred during the race, however it was the worst. The other was a crash during lap 116 that involved 11 cars and left driver Michael Annett with a bruised sternum and knocked him out of the following eight races that season.
In a recent report published by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, a settlement agreement reached by both NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway with Allen Davis has been officially entered into the record.
According to court documents, Davis was seriously injured during the crash after being violently struck in the head by shrapnel that was dislodged from Kyle Larson’s car when it smashed into the protective fencing at the edge of the stands.
A statement from Davis’ attorney, Daniel Iracki, states his client had endured such a severe injury from the shrapnel that it had left him with life-altering damage and he suffered a traumatic brain injury that affects his short-term memory, cognitive, ability, and personality. Davis, who is a resident of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania was struck in the head so forcefully that his skull was fractured and his brain was damaged as a result.
As the publication reports, a notice of settlement was filed in Orlando federal court on Monday, February 6th. The amount or details regarding what kind of a settlement was issued were not available which is standard for such arrangements, however Iracki told the paper that “It’s a substantial confidential settlement which will take care of Mr. Davis for the rest of his life.”
The settlement agreement between all parties was reached just days after a U.S. District Magistrate Judge denied a motion to block the depositions of six NASCAR drivers involved in the race. Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR had filed the motion.
Before the terrifying crash, Davis was a truck driver and single father of his two children. At that point in time, Davis maintained full custody over his children, but due to the crash he had to give up partial custody and will not be able to return to his job, his attorney added.
Watch the videos below that both show the horrifying crash, but from different angles. One from the fan’s perspective and one from sports broadcast cameras.