3 fans injured in Daytona accident
"Unfortunately, we had a camper and we had an accident with one of our trams carrying our customers and our team responded appropriately," Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said.
"We dealt with some minor injuries, but all in all, I felt good about how quickly we responded," Chitwood said. "This is not unusual for a big event. When you get this many people around, there are incidents that occur. I'm not sure I'm aware of an accident in the Turn 1 tunnel before this." The three fans were taken to the on-site care center, then treated and released, Speedway officials said. The trams, which hold 30 people, are used during events to shuttle fans around Speedway property.
Traffic was backed up throughout the morning as thousands of race fans poured into the Speedway for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The crash resulted in longer delays, stopping traffic in both directions as Daytona Beach police and onsite medical crews responded to the 12:45 p.m. accident. Chitwood said the Speedway responded in force, with guest service and operations staff, and handled the incident "appropriately.
"We are trying to determine the reasons why the accident occurred so maybe we can plan better, or see if it was human error," Chitwood said. "We're not really sure yet. We'll find out and make any changes to make sure it never happens again."