When Halifax Medical Center trauma specialist Dr. Steve Bohannon said Dale Earnhardt would have had a better chance to survive if his seat belt didn’t separate in the 2001 Daytona 500, he was just trying to answer a question during a news conference. Now that answer is the crux of an $8.5 million defamation lawsuit Bill Simpson has filed against NASCAR. In documents filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, Simpson attorney Robert Horn argues that NASCAR had reason to be afraid of Simpson. He says NASCAR’s failure to acknowledge that Earnhardt’s belt system was improperly installed, along with the comments by Bohannon and others, harmed Simpson. Bohannon, who serves as the director of emergency medical services at Daytona International Speedway, spoke during a news conference five days after the death of the seven-time Winston Cup champion. A jury trial in the case is tentatively scheduled for September. The judge can rule on NASCAR’s motion for summary judgment — a ruling in its favor without trial — anytime before then.( Daytona Beach News Journal ), see past news on my Lawsuit page .(5-19-2003)
