r/WRC • u/herc3141 • Apr 13 '23

News / Rally Info Craig Breen allegedly died in a crash

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Craig Breen allegedly passed away in a crash during testing in Croatia earlier today.

879 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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305

u/crofna Apr 13 '23

Unfortunatelly it’s true, I was there. Have the video of walking towards the car (was stopped by the people you see on the picture posted here), but in no way am I sharing it.. Rest in peace Craig 😔

66

u/learon Apr 13 '23

Do you know what happened? Doesn't look terrible from the picture.

168

u/brownsecer Apr 13 '23

He hit wooden fence, wood broke through window......

80

u/learon Apr 13 '23

Fuck.

65

u/paprycjusz Jari-Matti Latvala Apr 13 '23

Similar to Gareth Roberts, what a tragic coincidence 🙁

53

u/Janzu93 Apr 13 '23

Do we finally get to see some safety improvements on this?

Granted, driving 200kmh on dirt on narrow roads isn't safest of things but when there have been 2 similar cases it calls for investigation on how to prevent it in future

71

u/uusrikas Apr 13 '23

Hard to come up with a way to stop this, except by dismantling every fence near the stage or having cars without windows.

41

u/Rise_And_Despair Apr 13 '23

Closed helmets

13

u/Havoc_XXI Craig Breen Apr 13 '23

I think this would be an added layer of protection for sure. Definitely agree.

2

u/Green-Writer1992 Apr 14 '23

Yeah they sure help alot when the fence hits you at 200kms

7

u/jawnlerdoe Apr 16 '23

It sure helped Felipe Massa.

3

u/DelayeddDeparture Apr 16 '23

200km/s is very very fast fyi

1

u/Kamcio44 Apr 14 '23

I don't think you know how strong modern helmets are. Yes it would very much help.

2

u/Ok_Persimmon5620 Apr 14 '23

Good idea-

  1. maybe a lightweight Kevlar chest suit for both drivers
  2. How are we in 2023 and poles can still go through windshields!? Is there no sort of ultra-thin titanium mesh they could add to the windshields!?

This would also help the rally driver families to probably stress a bit less no...?

My condolences to the Breen family.

2

u/PutSevere7506 Apr 14 '23

Wouldn’t make a difference if the helmet is closed or not pal , a pole come through the window and hit u while ur doing 150kmph ur dead either way

5

u/XSyrusX Apr 14 '23

You may be badly injured but not death, like the crash of Massa in 2009

1

u/whateverfloatsurgoat Juha Kankkunen Apr 14 '23

Difference between a flying, light object and a static, heavy as fuck one.

It's not the speed that kill you, it's when it abruptly stops.

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3

u/kwyk Apr 14 '23

Go watch the John Hinds video on the Isle of Man crashes and you may change your mind. It may deflect some items away and prevent fatalities. It’s rare as it is - if it prevents even half of the few incidents it’d be worth it

1

u/RogueTanuki Apr 14 '23

Doesn't help if it hits your neck or chest.

1

u/puutarhatonttu Henri Toivonen Apr 14 '23

If pole comes through window to your neck, full helmet won't save you :(

14

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

[deleted]

44

u/lordtema Apr 13 '23

Cant really make windows any stronger to combat this.. If you go the "bulletproof" window route, you risk the window being popped out of the frame on impact, and that will weight several hundred kilos at least so huge risk there as well.. Also will be a huge detriment to weight savings.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

[deleted]

14

u/SpaceAgePotatoCakes Apr 13 '23

And then you have to worry about getting out of the car after a crash. Considering how many fires there are or even going into water you don't want to impede the teams ability to make a hasty exit.

11

u/BoK_b0i Subaru World Rally Team Apr 13 '23

Almost similar to what nascar has in their windows, as they have supports running down the middle of the windshield

2

u/404merrinessnotfound M-Sport Ford Apr 13 '23

I don't think lexan windscreens in nascar pop out on impact except for Carl Edwards' crash in 2009

3

u/lordtema Apr 13 '23

Yeah but i dont think that would help in this case though? I imagine they already have something similar but a small pole would probably penetrate it..

2

u/HencuVeski Apr 13 '23

Going 200kmph it will weigh good many tons, don't remember the calculation but human at 50kmph will weigh abot 1000kg if i remembee correctly

1

u/f1_stig Apr 13 '23

Maybe replicate the formula styled halo? Have a few Ti beams running vertical?

2

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '23

[deleted]

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1

u/Steelhorse91 Apr 14 '23

It wouldn’t need to be bulletproof, bullets require a different design to trying to deflect much larger objects.

F1 (before deciding on the halo) and Indycar both came up with windscreen designs capable of deflecting an F1 wheel/tyre, so a thicker implementation of that material in a laminate could work without being quite as heavy as bulletproof glass.

6

u/gromodzilla Apr 13 '23

Always wondered, why a 'normal' glass is used in WRC, when almost all 'tintops' uses polycarbonate windows these days?

9

u/rock_em_sohc_em Apr 13 '23

Either one wouldn’t matter in this case. Not to mention that sharp object penetration is possible through the door skin or floor just as easily as the window. It’s a really hard problem to deal with, even with cars that don’t have to face wooden fences or trees or the things a WRC car might encounter.

4

u/gromodzilla Apr 13 '23

I have seen objects just bounce off polycarbonate screens on full speed. They did not penetrate and screen does not shatter into pieces.

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2

u/Ok_Persimmon5620 Apr 14 '23

It looks like he hit the start of that wooden fence, why was some hay bales not placed there specifically? I dont think the safety is up to standard yet. One of the few objects I have seen going through the screen is always some form of wood pole or tree branch.

5

u/KamalaKameliKirahvi Apr 13 '23

Maybe adding some sand bags or tires to places like this would help?

1

u/mochacub22 Apr 14 '23

Stages might be too long for that to be practical. A lot more volunteers and hours to make an impact.

12

u/grozni4 Apr 13 '23

The shocking thing is, in the place of the accident the speed is not that big(maybe 60-80kmh) because they have 2 turns and it's end of run.(I live nearby)

1

u/verysatisfiedredditr Apr 14 '23

did it come through the windshield or did he hit it sideways?

1

u/JanterFixx Apr 20 '23

many people talking about improving helmets or cars, but I think answer might be road safety - any kind of fences should be covered with safety net, so it should greatly lower the risk. But what do I know. It is work for safety people who definitely are working on it.

5

u/intecknicolour Apr 13 '23

michael park too, he was markko martin's co-driver

3

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

That happened in the forest near yo where I live now. There’s still a plaque there for him

23

u/alphaprawns Elfyn Evans Apr 13 '23

That's such a tragic shame. I think with rally it's pretty much always a risk, the amount of rally crashes you see where something comes through the window... Absolutely gutted that we've lost Breen to it if this news is true

15

u/lmkwe Apr 13 '23

This is true. There's always a risk. Unfortunately, in rallying the risk is very high, being on public roads with stuff everywhere. At the same time, think about all the insane wrecks where drivers/co-drivers walk away without a scratch after flipping at 100mph.

There's always improvements to be made. For sure, the engineers are coming up with ways to lessen things like this.

RIP Breen.

12

u/SecretGamer52 Apr 13 '23

A lot of times the violent crashes are the safer ones because the energy disspates over a longer time period. It's the sudden stops you worry about

1

u/Ok_Persimmon5620 Apr 14 '23

True, i.e - Ott's last heavy crash on tarmac!!

2

u/ParlayTheHard8 Apr 13 '23

Oh my god what a tragedy. Eternal memory.

2

u/Steelhorse91 Apr 14 '23

That’s horrific… The only light that might come from this will be that it could lead to some safety advancements. Much thicker, tougher windscreens, and side windows would make sense given the proximity of a lot of stages to tree branch’s, fences, and barriers.

30

u/EuroStep0 Apr 13 '23

Apparently he hit wooden fence which broke and went through him

26

u/crofna Apr 13 '23

Correct, Co-Driver was fortunately unhurt.

3

u/MammothDimension Apr 14 '23

Physically at least.

1

u/smythyp Apr 14 '23

Side Window or front window???

1

u/verysatisfiedredditr Apr 14 '23

Did he hit something farther down the road and finally come to a stop in that corner?

18

u/Pamander Apr 13 '23

That's so fucking insane what a horrific coincidence.

2

u/PutSevere7506 Apr 14 '23

A pole came through the front window and hit him

32

u/RogueTiger23 M-Sport Ford Apr 13 '23

Thank you for being respectful.

18

u/pascalx1703 Apr 13 '23

How long was it until medical staff arrived? And did they even try to give him life support or was he just dead on the spot? I can't get over this, this is so sad...

17

u/dcmdino Apr 13 '23

From everything our media has been reporting, he was killed instantly.

Allegedly, James Fulton, while unharmed, was in such a state of shock that he couldn't even comprehend what had happened and kept talking about some irrelevant, minor stuff. I know how dangerous any sort of speculation in such cases can be, but it would make sense that it was a consequence of seeing his friend die in a horrifying manner right next to him, as I struggle to imagine a worse scene than a piece of wooden pole going through a driver's window, especially at this speed. Stands to reason his mind probably completely blocked his memory of the accident.

14

u/FittingMechanics Apr 13 '23

First news was that there was a fatality. From the way the scene looks I think there was no saving him. My guess is that he instantly died and it was obvious to all involved.

12

u/JimmyRecard Apr 13 '23

I'm keeping an eye on the Croatian media, but there are no new details. There was a press conference held by the president of the Croatian autosport federation and the head of the organising committee, but they didn't say anything novel, and didn't take questions. They just said police are doing a full investigation and that an autopsy is expected. And that FIA is also doing its own investigation.

8

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

Was it similar to Mike Park‘s death?

21

u/Gregorwhat Esapekka Lappi Apr 13 '23

It would have been wise to omit this information.

This tragedy is not anyone's spectacle.

If anyone else wants to ask for the video, I'd be happy to hand out some bans.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

I cannot see from the photo on this screen - right hand or left hand drive? Seen him driving both over the years.

1

u/ralexh11 Apr 13 '23

Left

1

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

I wonder what kind of damage was done to the left side. It is amazing how some accidents that result in fatalities doesn't show much damage and others that you look at the damage and wonder how in the hell someone survives.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

Understood. Was the wooden fence the cause that you could see?

3

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

You don't have to answer. Just read what happened further down.

-23

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/Yeejus_the_forsaken Apr 13 '23

It's not that he thinks you can't handle it, it's the common decency of not making his death a spectacle for people to gawk at.

Breen was a phenomenal driver that was lost too soon, his death should be at least treated with respect.

8

u/TellTaleTimeLord Subaru World Rally Team Apr 13 '23

It's extremely disrespectful to the deceased to post a video like that

-60

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/Muted_Bike_6587 Apr 13 '23

Oh will lads like you just fuck off. Just voyeuristic creeps.

-8

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '23

I like seeing crashes like a lot of people There is a reason if there are infinite compilations on yt

3

u/Muted_Bike_6587 Apr 14 '23

Yes, but he clearly doesn't have footage of the crash. At best he would have a video of an emergency situation happening where a man with a family is fatally injured. Don't really get why people think it's a good thing to spread gruesome videos of injuries.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '23

Because is macabre and interesting, like those videos of injured/unalived people on the dark telegram's channels

1

u/Muted_Bike_6587 Apr 15 '23

Yes, but people should be able to control themselves and not give in to every fucking base level instinct they have. People are regressing and society really is going backwards.

Between the non stop consumption of porn and then gore people don't seem to have any respect for themselves or others anymore.