'Errors made in festival tragedy'
Special report by Matt James
A
police investigation into the fatal accident at the 2000 Goodwood Festival of
Speed revealed that basic safety procedures had not been followed prior to the
crash which killed a driver and a marshal. Chichester Coroner's Court was told
that errors of judgement had been made in the lead-up to the incident but they
did not amount to "gross negligence".
The inquest into the death of Lotus 63 driver John Dawson-Damer, 59, and marshal
Andrew Carpenter, 40, was concluded on Friday last week. The jury recorded a
verdict of accidental death for both men.
The accident happened on June 24th, 2000, the final day of the popular annual
event bases at the famous venue in West Sussex. Dawson-Damer's car went out of
control as he came around the final corner of the hillclimb. He crashed into the
finishing gantry and both he and Carpenter suffered fatal injuries. Another
marshal, Steve Tarrant, was also hit and lost part of his right leg as a result.
During the hearing the jury was told that the finishing line gantry that
Dawson-Damer crashed into was not approved by the Motor Sports Association (MSA)
and that the event organisers were unaware of the marshals' positions at end of
the course.
John Symes, the MSA's safety officer, told the inquest that he had inspected the
course two days before the accident but did not recall seeing the gantry. the
inquest also learned that Dawson-Damer was wearing a crash helmet that did not
meet the MSA's safety standards. But a pathologist said even the latest helmet
designs would not have saved him.
The three-day hearing followed a two-year investigation which resulted in
improvements to the event's safety procedures. Detective Inspector Neil
Fellingham of Sussex Police, said: "There were errors of judgement but no gross
negligence. Motor racing is a dangerous sport with inherent risks."
An eye-witness to the event, marshal Christopher Andrews, told the jury:
"There was a little rain and the track was damp. I saw the car appear in
the brow of the hill. It came on to the grass verge on the right and looked like
the driver tried to get control. The car then crossed on to the other verge. At
that point, I didn't wait to see what happened."
The jury also heard that the marshalling positions on the left-hand side of the
circuit had not been drawn on the track map and officials did not know they were
there.
The coroner Roger Stone said: "My heartfelt sympathy goes out to every
person involved."
In a statement issued following the verdict, the MSA said safety was top of the
governing body's priorities. "The MSA notes today's verdict of accidental
death in respect of the tragic deaths of John Dawson-Damer and Andrew Carpenter
and, once again, wishes to express its condolences to the bereaved families. The
MSA welcomes the comments made by the coroner to the jury that there have been
improvements in safety at the Festival of Speed since the 2000 event. The MSA
will continue to give the highest priority to safety in motorsport within the
British Isles."
Lord March, creator of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Revival Meeting,
refused to comment.
