Earnhardt’s join the autopsy case: Seeking to defend a new state law restricting public access to autopsy photos, Dale Earnhardt’s family joined a court case Thursday challenging the law. The late NASCAR driver’s family said it was admitted as a “friend of the court,” meaning it is not an official party to the lawsuit but could argue in support of the law, which was passed last year at the urging of Earnhardt’s widow. The law prohibits unauthorized people from viewing or copying autopsy photos without a court order, punishable by five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. A group of media outlets, including the Orlando Sentinel and the Tampa Tribune, sued last month. The Sentinel sought a review of Earnhardt’s autopsy photos by a safety expert to determine whether better equipment could have prevented the racer’s death.(ThatsRacin/AP)(3-1-2002)
