Justin Wilson diagnosed with fractured vertebra after Mid-Ohio crash
Justin Wilson has been diagnosed with a fractured bone in his back following his accident in free practice for the IndyCar Series race at Mid-Ohio on Saturday
The 33-year-old Dreyer & Reinbold driver ran wide at Turn 1, went on to the grass where his car then travelled over an access road and bottomed out - causing Wilson to sustain an anterior compression fracture of the fifth thoracic vertebra.
Wilson was extricated from his car and taken to the circuit medical centre before being transferred to the local hospital, Mansfield MedCentral, where the diagnosis was made.
The Briton is expected to stay there overnight before being transported to Indianapolis on Sunday where he will meet with IndyCar's medical consultant Dr Terry Trammell.
Simon Pagenaud, who qualified Wilson's #22 car 18th without any prior running over the weekend, will stand-in again for the race.
"I feel really sorry for Justin," said Pagenaud. "He's a good friend and you never wish for this kind of situation to happen. I'm glad that Dreyer & Reinbold Racing asked me to represent him and the team I'm pleased that they have confidence in me to do the job.
"It was a bit of a rush really," he added. "I was watching practice in the infield and for the first time I didn't bring my gear, maybe because I don't have an insane mind thinking that someone could get hurt. Thank you very much to a lot of the drivers in the IndyCar paddock for helping me and lending me their stuff to use.
"All in all, the car was really good in qualifications. The work is all down to me now. I think the car is very well set up by Justin and the team. I was a bit cold turkey going in, so I'm pretty pleased with the performance and we were only a tenth off of transferring to the next session."
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