Читать книгу Judicial investigation. The death of Senna - Dmitry Nazarov - Страница 4

A little about the events of 1994 and the highlights of the first, most tragic part of it.

Senna starts the championship as the main favorite. However, despite the best results in qualifying, the first two races are unfortunate for him. U-turn and stalled engine at home Interlagos. A poke from Hakkinen and an exit in the first turn on the track in Aida in Japan.

By itself, the new Williams FW16, devoid of active suspension, turned out to be nervous to drive. The ban imposed by the FIA on electronic auxiliary systems has affected. At the same time, Michael Schumacher at Benetton, who won the first two races of the season, became a formidable force. Ayrton suspects that Benetton is using traction control in defiance of the ban.

Senna arrives in Imola for the third stage of the championship, 20 points behind Schumacher.

The weekend kicks off with a crash by Rubens Barrichello in Friday practice. Fortunately for him, the injuries were not serious, and on Saturday during qualifying, flying off the track at a speed of about 315 kilometers per hour, Roland Ratzenberger dies.

The death of the Austrian pilot is reported only after he is taken to a hospital in Bologna. There is no question of canceling the Grand Prix. Although, under Italian law, a death during a sporting event requires it to be stopped.

At the drivers’ briefing Sunday, Ayrton is calling on everyone to reopen the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association ahead of the next round in Monaco, in order to stand united for increased security measures.

The Brazilian starts again from pole position, Schumacher following him. At the start, Pedro Lami flies into Jyrki Jarvilehtio’s stalled Benetton, debris on and off the track, injured spectators. Until the end of the fifth lap, the peloton leads the safety car.

At the restart, Ayrton and Michael begin to leave the rest. In the course of the sixth round, the two main contenders are pretty tight. Schumacher’s car is lighter. Three pit stops are scheduled for him. While in Williams they counted on only two refueling. And at the beginning of the seventh lap, in the left long and fast turn of Tamburello, the leader in the race, Ayrton Senna, suddenly loses control of the car, flies off the track and crashes into a wall.

At the moment of impact, the Brazilian receives fatal head injuries. Arriving at the scene of the accident, doctors notice a weak pulse.

In an interview with Giuseppe Pezzi, doctor of the medical team, reniamatologist said:

– He was bleeding heavily, he was in a coma. The pulse remained, but the situation was critical.

Sid Watkins, Chief Physician of Formula 1, Professor:

«When I saw him, I realized that a head injury could be fatal.»

The medical team did everything they could to keep the airway open, replace the lost blood, and keep the heart pumping.

By helicopter, Senna is sent to the Maggiore hospital in Bologna, located 30 kilometers from Imola. The race management is informed that Senna has a very severe head injury. But there is no information in the rest of the paddock. While drops of blood flying from a landing helicopter terrify the people present at the hospital.

The race at Imola resumes.

The chaos that reigned over the circuit named after Enzo and Dino Ferrari that weekend ends with injuries to the mechanics in the pit lane. The reason is that the rear wheel of Michele Alboreto’s car is not fixed.

Schumacher, Larini and Hakkinen win the San Marino Grand Prix. And only after the end of the broadcast, messages about the state of Senna begin to arrive.

Dr. Maria Teresa Fiandri, chief physician of the Maggiore hospital, told the press: «The patient’s condition is very serious, the trauma of the skull is expressed by multiple fractures. The patient is in a coma. Several times his heart stopped.»

In a subsequent interview, Maria Teresa Fiandri said: «The electroencephalography we completed five minutes ago unfortunately confirms the clinical diagnosis of brain death.»

Tomaso Zakueña, professor: «From a neurological point of view, we see a complete absence of brainstem reflexes. An electroencephalogram taken half an hour ago showed no electrical activity in the brain. In the face of these clinical parameters, we must diagnose that the coma is irreversible.»

Maria Teresa Fiandri: «At 18:40, there was no cardiac activity, we declared death.»

On the evening of May 1, Ayrton’s body leaves the hospital and is transported to the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

The shock of the tragedy arose simultaneously with the wave of indignation. The Italian press is wondering. Why did the race continue? After all, it was clear that Senna’s injury was fatal.

Organizers are believed to have delayed announcements in both the Ratzenberger and Senna cases to avoid the sporting event being forced to be cancelled. Thus protecting their financial interests.