Posts by cosmicridge5

@steelmaker83

Regarding that bit about CT scans from Tudor:

Nowadays, neurosurgeons are constantly being asked if they should run a head CT for even mild TBIs. It’s likely—or will be soon—that anyone who loses consciousness will need a brain CT. In one study, 57% (!) of patients with a mild TBI (GCS=15) showed pathological findings on their CT.

Can you imagine? 57 percent had pathology. 😲

And I guess all of those are cases that wouldn't even get a CT scan here in the States. 😁

Oh, and just for context, the Glasgow Coma Scale goes up to 15 (I've actually had a lower score myself), but since these were people with the highest/best scores, it means over half of them still had a pathological CT (meaning it wasn't clear). 😲

Generally speaking, a mild TBI is classified by a GCS of 12-15, moderate is below 12 (down to 8), and anything below 8 is considered severe (down to a minimum of 3).

steelmaker83 said:In an underground parking garage, a woman ran straight into a concrete beam—dead center on her forehead. It made such a sound that everyone present jumped. I immediately called my buddy, who's a surgeon, to see if I should rush her to the ER, but he said there was no need if there were no immediate red flags (vomiting, confusion, dizziness, etc.), because they wouldn't do anything with just a standard X-ray anyway.

Aside from her head ringing for a few hours, she had no other symptoms (none of the stuff mentioned above). She did tell me she felt her brain shift inside her skull, though. Anyway, we never went anywhere, and it has definitely been over a month now. There are no issues currently. Everything functions normally, but I'm wondering if there could be something hidden that would still warrant a CT scan.

I just realized (based on what my buddy told me) that if nothing happens in those first few hours after the impact, then you're in the clear. Your comment has me a little worried now.

Ask your brother if he'd actually go through with getting a CT scan just to end it all. 😬

And honestly, you hit the nail on the head there. Even if she heads to the ER, they'll probably just tell her they can't do anything about it anyway. In your particular situation, since I mentioned earlier, we don't actually have a standardized protocol in place yet that mandates a CT scan—it’s mostly just X-rays for now. Unless you sustain a more significant injury and they decide it's absolutely necessary, they might order one, but it isn't an automatic process like it's eventually supposed to become here in the States.

That’s bound to change, though. I think Tudor actually mentioned this in his dissertation back in 2010—if I remember correctly—noting that this would eventually become the standard protocol for all head traumas, including the more minor ones. It's all because of these secondary processes and what happened in Natasha's case. The way things work under the current protocol here in the States, someone like your wife could show up at the ER, get scanned, and if they don't see a skull fracture, that's basically it; you can't see hematomas on an X-ray. If she had ended up in a situation like Natasha did, they might have just sent her home. Unless she was lucky enough to take a turn for the worse while still at the hospital, she could have easily died once she actually got home.

So, what’s the actual issue here? What’s really going on behind the scenes? I guess the point is that you need to actually understand these things for yourself instead of just blindly trusting whatever our healthcare protocols tell you. 😬

Aside from having that ringing sensation in her head for a few hours, she didn't really have any other symptoms—nothing from the list we discussed. She did mention, though, that she could distinctly feel her brain shifting inside her skull... which sounds intense. Anyway, we haven't ended up going anywhere to get checked out, and since it's been over a month now, I guess it's probably fine. Everything seems fine right now. Things are functioning normally, but I guess you have to wonder if there's something hidden under the surface that could trigger an unexpected trip to the CT scanner later on.

No, actually, what I mentioned earlier regarding that secondary process doesn't really apply here. It just wouldn't make sense given how much time has already passed. Maybe it could happen within the next few hours, or at most over the next day or two in really rare instances, I guess.

If she were actually experiencing lasting symptoms right now, that might suggest a concussion that left some lingering effects—which is rare, but you can definitely still feel those issues a month later. However, if that were the case, she’d need an MRI rather than a CT scan. You use an MRI to look for structural damage, whereas a CT might miss things. But honestly, that's getting too technical and isn't really relevant here. Most likely, she’s fine, so don't sweat it. 🙂

because I just realized (or rather, my brother pointed out to me) that if nothing happens in those first few hours after the impact, then everything is fine—so what you said actually made me a little worried

Oh man, I guess I wasn't being clear enough, sorry. I tend to do that sometimes 😬 Let me try to clarify: everything I wrote above was specifically about traumatic brain injuries. Your wife might not have actually sustained a TBI at all since she didn't lose consciousness (which would suggest a concussion), and she hasn't had headaches, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting—all of which are symptoms used to diagnose a mild TBI. Not every single hit to the head results in a TBI, you know? 🙂

Anyway, in her case, there's probably no cause for concern and there's no need to go anywhere if she isn't experiencing any issues (as for those secondary injuries, they don't just pop up much later; they usually show up immediately or within a few hours, maybe a day at most 🙂

But again, that only applies to a TBI. For an injury to even be classified as a TBI—even a mild one—you’d need to see loss of consciousness or symptoms like confusion or disorientation (though for a mild TBI, that disorientation has to last less than 30 minutes). But yeah, not every bump on the head is automatically a traumatic brain injury. Sorry if I wasn't clear and ended up scaring someone; that really wasn't my intention 😬

@steelmaker83

Generally speaking, with these types of minor injuries, if you're worried about complications like bleeding or a hematoma developing, those usually happen pretty fast—either immediately or within a few hours. That’s the critical window; seeing things develop days later is pretty rare. (I guess I can't be 100% certain if the limit is exactly three days, or if that's just how I remember it, but it's definitely not longer than that. Regarding bleeding and hematomas, they almost always show up within a couple of hours, if not sooner. So, you'd likely be out of the woods by then anyway.) 😁 Edit: oh, I see you mentioned just now that this isn't about you.

The issue is that if you don't head to the doctor right away, you might already be too late—if you happen to fall into that unlucky minority, like Natasha, where secondary injuries develop even from a relatively minor impact. In those cases, surgery becomes an emergency, and you really need a diagnosis BEFORE the secondary loss of consciousness kicks in. Once someone loses consciousness after a lucid interval, it's basically too late because their life is already at risk. That's why getting to the ER immediately after the injury is vital, rather than waiting until things actually take a turn for the worse.

p.s. Just as an illustration (I was actually reading this in Tudor's dissertation last night), for epidural hematomas like what happened to Natasha, the people who had good outcomes were the ones operated on within two hours of losing consciousness. On the other hand, those with acute subdural hematomas who weren't operated on until four hours after the injury tended to have poor outcomes.

steelmaker83 said:Fair enough. But how much time has to pass before you can be absolutely certain there won't be any lingering consequences after a "benign" hit like that? And would it actually be wise to get a CT scan, say, a month after the impact, even if there aren't any symptoms like headaches or anything else?

No, a month later isn't the time for that anymore; at this point, it's just what happened, happened (btw, what kind of fall was it? Did you lose consciousness, or did you have other issues? Oh, wait, I see you mentioned there were no symptoms. In that case, if a month has passed, you're likely fine, so don't sweat it 😁)

Regarding the CT scan, it'll eventually become the standard practice to run one after even minor head trauma. It's not quite the norm here yet (mostly because it's expensive, obviously), and they won't just do it for no reason—they usually only order imaging if they're actually concerned. If you really want one after a light bump, you'd probably have to pay out of pocket at a private clinic.

As for being completely sure it "passed without consequences," if you're talking about potential neurological issues, those from milder traumas generally only show up when you return to your normal routine. For instance, if you're a student, you might notice changes in how studying feels or if concentration is harder than usual, or maybe some subtle shifts in mood. But again, that’s all pretty subjective.

If you mean secondary injuries, those typically develop within the first few hours up to about three days, if I recall correctly (though I should probably double-check if it's exactly three days or ask my grandma 😁). Regardless, you definitely aren't going to develop an edema or similar secondary issues a full month down the line. 🙂

p.s. Please, for the love of god, don't quote this entire wall of text of mine. 😁

ruggedhawk20 said:Looks like Grandma really left her mark on the grandkids.

Respect.

😁

But my grandma really just gave me the basics 😳 mostly so I could follow along while doing my own research. 😁

Just as a quick follow-up to what I mentioned earlier, it’s actually pretty important to head to the ER even if you don't think you hit your head that hard. Especially if you start noticing any weird symptoms—things like worsening headaches, fatigue, sleepiness, or motor issues. Anything at all, really. And definitely if you lose consciousness, even for a split second, or if any symptom starts to ramp up. That can happen suddenly or maybe just a few hours later. Personally, I’d probably suggest seeing a doctor after any significant head impact, obviously excluding the times you just bump your head on a kitchen cabinet or something minor like 😁.

It matters because it’s entirely possible for someone to get up off the floor right after an impact looking totally fine—walking and talking normally—only to have their condition take a sudden turn for the worse. Usually, that happens because of this secondary injury I was talking about earlier, or rather, that secondary chain reaction that can kick off even from a seemingly minor injury.

A tragic example of this is Natasha Richardson (Liam Neeson's wife). She had a fall while learning to ski with an instructor; it looked like a relatively minor accident. She got up, went back to the hotel, and then a few hours later her condition deteriorated. By the time she reached the hospital, it was already too late—she suffered brain death and was soon taken off life support. So, essentially, it was that secondary injury that caused her death. To be clear, I don't mean a second physical blow; these "secondary injuries" are the result of—as I mentioned—a whole series of biochemical reactions in the brain (and the body as a whole) that trigger following the primary injury, which is the initial hit. It’s possible for these to be triggered by milder hits, though that’s probably less common than with moderate ones.

With severe injuries, it’s almost inevitable that these secondary injuries will occur. We often don't see the true extent of the brain damage until those secondary processes have played out, since they aren't instantaneous like the primary injury that happens at the moment of impact.

Of course, that doesn't mean they will always develop. With milder traumatic brain injuries, such as a standard concussion, they are quite rare, and most people recover fully without any secondary issues or neurological fallout.

But in Natasha Richardson's case, despite how trivial the fall seemed, it triggered bleeding—specifically an epidural hematoma. After what’s known as a "lucid interval," where she seemed completely fine, things took a turn for the worse a few hours later. By the time she hit the hospital, brain death had occurred. During that lucid window, however, the bleeding from the impact was forming an epidural hematoma (blood pooling between the dura mater and the skull), which then put pressure on the brain. That compression is usually what causes the severe neurological issues or death if the hematoma isn't surgically drained immediately.

In her specific situation, if she had gone to the hospital immediately and received a CT scan that caught the hematoma, she likely would have been operated on right away, and it’s very possible she could have avoided permanent damage altogether.

So, brain trauma is incredibly tricky; sometimes people don't survive relatively mild primary injuries, and vice versa. While there is certainly a strong correlation between the severity of the initial hit and the recovery outcome, TBI is often called an "invisible epidemic." It's predicted that starting in 2020, these types of injuries would become a leading cause of death in developed nations like the US.

By the way, right before heading to bed last night (instead of hanging out on 😬 ), I came across this: If anyone happens to be interested, you might want to give it a read. I'll try to summarize some of the interesting bits later—though I did have some pretty bad nightmares about people dropping weights on tiny little mice, which was awful... I might share those details later too, if anyone actually cares 😁.

electricmaker40 said:Guys... do you actually have any idea what you're talking about here?
Massa dealt with a minor suspension snap at 120mph... Berger hit a wall and lost consciousness...

The DAI situation involving Bianchi is easily the biggest thing since Schumacher’s downfall... maybe the only thing comparable to that Sennin accident, where a tire and a chunk of suspension ended up hitting him in the head...

Bianchi has maybe a 10% chance of survival... and even if he does, most patients end up in a vegetative state... the ones who actually wake up usually deal with severe disabilities... maybe try doing a little research before you start posting on the forum!

Sent from my iPhone.

Yeah, but it’s not quite that straightforward. When we're talking about a traumatic brain injury, you can't just focus on the primary trauma—the actual impact itself—because there's also... Secondary injuries.There are certain types of injuries—like what happened with Schumacher—that don't necessarily show up the second the impact occurs. Instead, they tend to develop gradually over the following hours or even days after the initial trauma. I guess that’s why it feels wrong to look at his decline in isolation, without accounting for everything that happened with his brain later on, which only really reached its conclusion once that entire process we call... I guess we should probably talk about secondary brain injuries. It’s one of those things that doesn't get enough attention, but it's arguably just as critical as the initial trauma itself. Even if the first hit seems to be managed, the cascade of events that follows—things like swelling, oxygen deprivation, or chemical imbalances—can really complicate the recovery process. Maybe it's worth looking closer at how we manage those follow-up complications to prevent further damage.That's what ultimately caused his brain injuries. And unfortunately, they were pretty severe.

Look, even though Michael's primary injury was definitely less severe than Bianchi's—which is pretty obvious at first glance given the nature of the accident and the fact that he wasn't in a coma from the jump—that doesn't really mean as much as it might seem. When you factor in these secondary injuries he sustained, things get a bit more complicated. It’s basically one long chain reaction—an incredibly complex biochemical cascade that kicks off right after that initial injury. So, there’s this secondary injury that basically builds on top of the initial one—I’ll dive deeper into that later—but by the end of that process, Michael's brain injury wasn't exactly a minor thing anymore. You really can't look at his condition through the lens of just the primary injury, or what happened at the exact moment of the accident, if you want to understand the full picture.

Let me try to clarify this: when you're looking at head trauma, you shouldn't assume the injury is "done" or "finalized" immediately after the accident occurs. Just because the initial impact and the immediate brain injury are visible right then doesn't mean you've seen the whole picture. Most of the actual damage isn't fully apparent the second the hit happens; instead, it tends to develop over time. Some people haven't even stepped up to the plate yet.And then there are the ones who haven't even stepped up yet—the ones doctors are actually fighting against. Just finished some work on the bores. Once you actually get admitted to the ER, things can go south fast. Honestly, the psychological toll of being stuck in that environment might be even worse than the initial injury itself.

But you have to look at the "total damage"—meaning the actual extent of someone's brain injury—within a broader context. I guess you can't just look at one metric in isolation. I guess you have to account for both the primary injury and the secondary one. So, basically, you’re looking at that secondary cascade—the whole follow-up process that, like I mentioned before, ends up causing even more damage. We're talking ischemia, metabolic disruptions, and the onset of edema, which then jacks up the intracranial pressure, leading to neuronal degeneration and, eventually, death. It seems like there isn't much to go on here. Just a single word. I guess we're starting from scratch? It’s kind of hard to gauge the actual severity of a brain injury if you only look at the primary damage from the initial impact. You really have to factor in how those secondary injuries build on top of the first ones. I guess you can only truly wrap your head around how serious the situation is when you look at both pieces together.

It’s worth noting if you want to understand why someone who seemingly walked away from a minor accident might end up with much worse long-term outcomes than someone who sustained a massive, obvious primary injury. It happens more often than you'd think, especially with traumatic brain injuries. You see people who looked "fine" at the scene end up with permanent deficits, while the person who took a direct hit seems to recover better. I guess it all comes down to secondary injuries—basically, the physiological domino effect that starts unfolding minutes, hours, or even days after the initial impact. To put it in layman's terms, we often see cases where—well, you know. The worst part—the part that’s actually going to fry your brain—is still on its way.Regarding the damage, the brain hasn't even hit its worst point from that initial impact yet; the real trouble comes from this cascading chain of secondary injuries.

The severity of someone's ultimate injury—and their actual chance at recovery—really hinges on how effectively doctors can step in to halt those secondary processes. That’s where medical teams focus their energy, rather than just looking at the primary, often irreversible damage (though they're obviously linked, since the first triggers the second). The real danger to the patient lies in these subsequent stages, so the goal is to intervene and mitigate them as much as possible. You see, once cellular death occurs following that primary injury, there's no going back; in trauma cases, cell death is an immediate event that you simply can't reverse. So, what actually happens in the hospital is a fight against these secondary insults—this complex, ongoing process that leads to further tissue damage and brain degradation, which eventually results in neurological fallout and all that...

Because of that, I think it's pretty misleading to call Michael's initial injury "minor." It’s confusing for people outside the medical field, and honestly, head trauma is unpredictable by nature. Even right after the accident, you never truly know how things will unfold over the next few hours or days, or how the brain chemistry will continue to shift. That unpredictability is exactly why head injuries are so tricky.

Of course, that doesn't mean the extent of the primary injury isn't still a massive factor in the overall outcome.

I'll try to elaborate a bit more on this whenever I get a chance for anyone interested. 🙂

gentlecobra23 said:The closed cockpit changes the entire essence of Formula 1, and honestly, I’m not convinced the concept is actually any good. It just makes everything more complicated. Getting a driver out of the car becomes much harder, and if there’s a fire—which, let’s face it, happens way too often in this sport—trying to scramble out of that thing could be a nightmare. At the end of the day, you have to wonder if this design is actually helping anyone or if it’s just creating a whole new set of problems...

Pato, are you actually a doctor or just some wannabe trying too hard to act like one...

First off, we need to get drivers to actually follow the rules already on the books. We need to create an atmosphere where following them feels non-negotiable... like they're sacred scripture. For instance, everyone knows you don't freaking overtake the medical car on track 😁 But maybe the rules need to be more explicit. Instead of leaving it up to their discretion—which clearly leads to the kind of interpretation Gary describes on his blog—they should just mandate that under yellow flags, speed must drop to a specific limit, and that’s that.

Beyond that, I think it would be smart to have the safety crew deploy every single time one of those heavy metal chunks flies off and hits a car where possible. Either that, or find a better way to extract them altogether.

gentlecobra23 said:The closed cockpit changes the entire essence of Formula 1, and honestly, I’m not convinced the concept is actually any good. It just makes everything more complicated. Getting a driver out of the car becomes much harder, and if there’s a fire—which, let’s face it, happens way too often in this sport—trying to scramble out of that thing could be a nightmare. At the end of the day, you have to wonder if this design is actually helping anyone or if it’s just creating a whole new set of problems...

Pato, are you actually a doctor or just some wannabe trying too hard to act like one...

I'm not a doctor, but here are my medical qualifications regarding this specific field:
- Aside from being a hypochondriac (and, naturally, an irritatingly pedantic know-it-all 😁), I’ve dealt with a TBI (traumatic brain injury 😁) myself, so I did some digging. Plus, my grandmother—who is a doctor—constantly nags me about it because I've had three concussions in my life. Apparently, that's a disaster because every subsequent hit significantly increases the odds (even if it's a minor bump or injury) of facing disproportionately severe consequences. Things like rising intracranial pressure or developing edema, which, unlike a hematoma, is much rarer and usually requires a harder impact to trigger. But supposedly, once you've had a TBI, any further head trauma could theoretically cause you to kick the bucket from a relatively weak blow. At least that's how my grandma paranoically drills it into me; she'd probably ban me from leaving my bed without a helmet 🤣. That said, I've listened enough on the subject to know what I'm talking about, even if I didn't go to med school 😁

Also, unlike Jožica, I don't typically make a habit of just blathering things blindly, so if I'm not sure about something, I'll definitely mention it in my post 🙏 😁

btw, just to illustrate, my mildest head injury—and the shortest amount of time I was unconscious—is something I'll never forget. You literally feel your brain shifting inside your skull; it's pretty terrifying. This also happens during sudden deceleration, where the brain bounces left and right inside the cranium, and no helmet can save you from that. When high forces are involved, that movement causes the brain tissue to essentially "stretch" and tear internally. Helmets don't protect against acceleration/deceleration, so you can sustain a brain injury without ever actually hitting anything; because of that sudden deceleration, the brain keeps moving and slams against the inner walls of the skull. Then the tissue and blood vessels just snap when those wild forces are at play...

steelmaker83 said:That all holds up, but let’s be clear: the track conditions weren't the issue, and neither was the car leaving the circuit. The sole, absolute reason this happened was that excavator. It had no business being there.

Look, the whole situation is complicated. In theory, this kind of disaster could happen during a dry race under perfect conditions—no heavy machinery required. One car breaks down and pulls off onto the apron, the yellow flags fly, and then the marshals head out to push the car out of harm's way. Then, suddenly, another car comes barreling down the track—maybe due to a brake failure—and slams right into them. Boom.

So, you're looking at a constant probability—tiny, sure, but it’s there. Now you’re just multiplying the sheer catastrophe of that outcome by sending some damn excavators out onto the track...

The issue is simply this...

The fallout is that, from here on out, any time a driver goes off and the car stays within "reach," we’re going to see a Safety Car.

And honestly? That's how it should be.

I suppose I agree that the worst part was him hitting that excavator—basically slamming into a multi-ton heap of iron that these cars simply aren't designed to collide with, let alone survive.

It’s definitely a much better setup to have recovery teams using a crane, like they do in Monaco, while the heavy machinery stays safely behind the barriers. I imagine we'll either see more of that moving forward, or perhaps mandatory safety cars whenever situations like this pop up.

Though, knowing myself, I’ll probably think twice the next time I find myself groaning or rolling my eyes at a safety car deployment... and I probably won't even go as far as making fun of baby Felipe anymore.😬

By the way, the whole thing is pretty complicated. In theory, this kind of mess could happen during a bone-dry race with perfect conditions, even without an excavator involved. A car breaks down, stops near the track, yellow flags fly, marshals head out to push the car, and then—bam—another car hits them because of, say, brake failure.

So, it’s a constant possibility, however slim, and now you’re just multiplying the potential for catastrophe by sending massive excavators onto the track...

That’s just how it goes; us humans mostly learn through our own mistakes. We tend to operate on the assumption that luck will be on our side, rather than acknowledging that it might not be (which is what we should actually be doing). I think I read somewhere—maybe here, maybe elsewhere on the web—about one of those old-school drivers complaining about having to wait for a guardrail to be repaired after a crash, arguing that the odds of someone else hitting that exact same spot were basically zero.😬

jadeseal7 said:

According to Wikipedia, diffuse axonal injury (DAI) stands out as one of the most frequent—and honestly, most heartbreaking—kinds of traumatic brain injury out there.

The reality is quite grim: it often leads to a coma, where more than 90% of people suffering from severe DAI never actually regain consciousness. Even for those lucky enough to wake up, they are usually left facing significant, long-term impairments.

The issue is that we don't actually have any concrete data regarding his specific injuries, so at this stage, it's impossible to make any real predictions—even if we were neurosurgeons or neurologists, let alone just reading Wikipedia. Even his own doctors, who have access to his scans and are managing his care, probably can't offer much of a specific prognosis yet (unless the findings are catastrophic), mostly because traumatic brain injuries are just incredibly complex when it comes to both treatment and predicting the level of recovery.

What we do know for sure is that as soon as we are dealing with a severe traumatic brain injury, as is unfortunately the case here (meaning when the Glasgow Coma Scale score is under 8—which is the scale used to initially assess coma depth and roughly gauge injury severity alongside CT scans), the outlook is already by definition relatively grim in terms of full recovery without serious long-term consequences. That’s really the first and most basic thing to keep in mind when discussing recovery from these kinds of brain injuries. Basically, just knowing that the injury is classified as severe (unlike moderate or mild cases) means we are almost certainly looking at a very long recovery process. It's a process—not like in the movies where a patient just "wakes up" one day and is back to their old self—and unfortunately, in these situations, there are almost always some lasting effects, which can range from relatively minor to very severe.

Btw, I mentioned this before on shumiev's thread, but if anyone wants a better understanding of what these severe traumatic brain injuries entail and what the recovery looks like, I highly recommend downloading and watching The Crash Reel. It's a documentary about Kevin Pearce, who suffered an injury just like this. It does a great job explaining the reality of the situation and what recovery actually looks like in these circumstances.

Keith Moore21 said:I mean, when you really sit back and look at it, it’s just mind-blowing that he’s even still with us... that footage is absolutely brutal, honestly just horrific 😢

Hang in there, Bianchi 🙂

Yeah, the impact force was insane, pretty grim to watch 😢 And I guess it would be a genuine miracle if he manages to come out of this without serious long-term issues... :/
The mere fact that he didn't die at the track is probably the best proof of how impressive all these modern safety measures—from HANS to the helmet and the car itself—actually are.

But like Gary mentioned, we've grown somewhat accustomed to seeing terrifying crashes in Formula 1 (just think about Kubica in Canada, or Webber in Spain), where drivers would practically walk away from the wreckage almost unscathed... And it's not just us getting used to it; the drivers themselves have too, and it's not impossible to imagine they might have become a bit too complacent regarding the safety provided by all these modern systems... It's just human nature, especially considering how hyper-focused everyone is on competitiveness and results. Honestly, that's usually what we value most about them anyway, rather than any concern for their own safety on track. In fact, if we actually notice a driver prioritizing safety, it's rarely seen in a positive light; instead, they get mocked as being "soft" or told they aren't "real racers."

Just look at the amount of mockery Massa faced regarding this incident, which still follows him today, simply because he yelled that he couldn't see anything and couldn't drive like that... (And the radio response he got back was telling—stay cool... we are in a good position, which basically means your safety isn't the priority right now, the track position is 😉 Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I think I see the point...

Even now after this race, following his statement that even before Jules's accident, he had been shouting over the team radio about how much water was on the track, fans just react with: "Oh, Massa, he's always complaining and whining 🙄" But drivers don't live in a vacuum; all those factors definitely affect them psychologically, which then naturally impacts their driving behavior...

So, what I'm trying to say is that (imho) it feels a little unrealistic and unfair to start questioning why Bianchi didn't slow down more under yellow flags and such, if we know how often we ourselves interpret those kinds of actions negatively, viewing drivers as weaklings or "show ponies" instead of "true racers," and so on...

Which is why it seems to me that if we really want to go looking for someone to blame, maybe we should start by looking in the mirror... 😉

So, I was just reading what Gary had to say about these flags:

I’ve been saying since 2010 that flag discipline is deteriorating, and it’s deteriorating fast. And no one is making properly vigorous efforts to re-establish it.

It seems like at every single driver briefing, the guys just badger Charlie for specific numbers—stuff like, “hey, how fast am I allowed to go under yellows?” or “what about double yellows?” They even ask things like, “am I going to get penalized if I’m 0.2 seconds slower through this sector compared to my last lap?” I guess they just want everything spelled out for them.

Full post over here: http://formerf1doc.wordpress.com/

ruggedhawk20 said:I was reading somewhere else that Bianchi didn't make it.

Nothing's been officially confirmed yet, I guess.

???

Man, this could have been an even bigger disaster. He could've hit any one of those workers nearby... Truly terrifying. 😢

Hang in there, Bianchi...

Man, Joe, that's just... wow. 🙂 I'd honestly love to be able to track down that album for you right about now... 😁

ruggedhawk20 said:Ever held a power drill? - nope.

Studied medicine? - nope.

BTW you probably don't realize they mostly use the same damn drill bit a guy uses to hang a picture frame in his living room - but sure, go off.

And how on earth do you know I didn't study medicine?!? 😁

Though I suppose it’s true that I didn't. My main obstacles were probably just my hatred of both blood and needles... honestly, nurses basically have to bribe me with Madonna before they can even get a needle near me to draw blood. 🙏 😬

Btw, did you realize that wherever you go to get blood drawn, they always have Madonnas on hand? - You didn't.

But I guess you might actually learn something from your Slipper yet. 😎

ruggedhawk20 said:Plus, Schumacher ended up with a ton of hematomas and lesions mostly because they waited too long on the surgery—his brain swelled so much it basically crushed itself. That’s where those injuries came from, not from hitting the barrier initially. Based on whatever physics I know, that impact was probably way less intense than what Bianchi went through.

Ugh, Joe, why are you just talking out of your hat? I feel like I've told you before that the pathophysiology of head trauma isn't exactly that simple, lol. But look, if you actually want me to walk you through TBI and how acceleration and deceleration affect tissue—or if you want to know the actual difference between contusions, intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhages, and epidural versus subdural hematomas—just shoot me a DM. I'd be happy to go over it; I can pull from the textbooks, but I also have some real-world experience to draw from. 😬

Those lesions and bruises came from somewhere else. They definitely didn't come from that initial impact with the rock.

Ugh, why do you love lecturing people on things you aren't even qualified to talk about? It’s not like we're even in the same league. 🤣 That’s not actually how it works, so please stop spreading misinformation. That increase in intracranial pressure is caused by edema, not by elevated pressure causing hematomas like you suggested. 😁The pressure from a hematoma pushing against brain tissue can lead to elevated intracranial pressure—which is why you see those spikes in IBM levels. In cases like this, we’re usually looking at an acute subdural hematoma, where bleeding occurs between the dura and the arachnoid mater. Most of these hematomas happen suddenly, almost instantly, typically within that first minute. Based on what you've laid out, it sounds like you're suggesting there are only secondary head traumas involved. If that injury opened up that quickly, I guess there wouldn't have been any initial trauma at all? Maybe. 😁

What you're describing sounds like secondary brain trauma—essentially a chain of complications that build on top of the primary injury and can make things worse. But it’s definitely not as straightforward as you’ve made it out to be. Honestly, maybe just skip posts like this; you might actually end up being taken seriously if you don't. 😁

P.S. Ivy, you can see that I'm actually a better neurosurgeon than you are. 🙂

ruggedhawk20 said:The guy slammed into a construction vehicle. Just look at what's left of the car.

Schumacher fell while skiing with his family.

Head injuries are a nightmare. You can fall off a bike and die, or smash a motorcycle into a semi and walk away. I personally know people who've done both.

The brain is way too complex to say for sure which impact is fatal.

But one thing's for sure: when there's brain swelling, any delay in surgery is bad news for the patient.

Besides, I'm being an optimist because my first thought was that this was a repeat of de Villota's accident.

If you don't know the details of de Villota's crash, just Google it.

Bottom line? Bianchi got off much, much easier.

Yeah, but then again, maybe Šumi had a pretty pointless run too, just like Bianchi. Cutting edge. Look at that helmet. Just look at what it actually saved Massu from.

Moving forward. I suppose I’m being an optimist here, mostly because my first thought was that we were seeing a repeat of what happened to Villota.

If you aren't familiar with the specifics of what happened to Villota, maybe just do a quick Google search.

No, I honestly have no idea who Villota is. 😬

I guess I'll just look it up on Google.

ruggedhawk20 said:Honestly, it’s not nearly as bad as I thought before seeing the photo.

Bianchi basically just scraped against the excavator

Unlike Villota, who slammed straight into a truck

The difference is massive—Villota's car stopped dead, sending all that impact energy right into his helmet after it clipped the truck's ramp

Bianchi’s helmet just grazed the excavator—way less energy transferred into his head

You can tell just by looking at the helmet itself

While Villota’s helmet was crushed—along with everything underneath it

Seeing this pic actually gives me a bit of optimism regarding my predictions.

Before I saw the shot, I was certain the crash was fatal.

This is in the same realm as Schumacher's injury—with one huge distinction: Bianchi got surgery immediately. Unlike Schumacher, who waited too long—which is exactly why he’s still sleeping and will be until the end.

It isn't quite that simple. I mean, sure, it's true it would have been better if Jules had been rushed straight to the hospital in Grenoble instead of losing time by stopping at the wrong facility first, but I wouldn't say the injuries are in the same league. Jules had a massive amount of hematomas and lesions all over—left, right, and center. It really matters what kind they are and where they are located, since that determines which parts of the brain are hit and whether the critical centers are affected. There are just so many variables involved beyond just how fast the surgery happened...

So, honestly, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jules's injuries are significantly less severe than Schumacher's... and I'm hoping the hospital releases some more concrete info soon...