WOW! That is a MESS!

Great, though, that his injuries aren't life-threatening!

Get well soon!

Frank just posted this update on the pure stock board:

Here's the latest from Bob Palma:


Hello again, all:

Cari and I just got back from spending an hour this afternoon with Ted, Mary Ann, and Missy in Ted's Room #7111 at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie. He is doing well, all things considered, but sure has enough bumps, bruises, and scrapes, in addition to three broken bones and a punctured lung, to keep the staff busy inventorying the nature and severity of each injury. None are life-threatening...but taken together, it was quite a beating for a 74-year-old man.

He was alert and conversant, entirely "with it" the entire time we were there. 'Didn't miss a beat or fail to recall anything you might expect him to know, so I'd say there is no mental damage or memory loss of any kind. The only injury to his head appears to be small scrapes at the bridge of his nose between his eyes, where his helmet must have cut him a little. They didn't even have a band-aid on the area, it was so small. Good helmet!

He's speaking fine and clear, although it hurts when he laughs. Mary Ann said, "That's OK; make him laugh, Bob."

Actually, I already had. When I got there and walked over to the bed, he was smiling and the first thing I said was, with a stern look on my face, "Now what have you done, Ted?" He got a chuckle out of that and the whole visit couldn't have been more pleasant.

OK, details: One rib apparently punctured his left lung, but sprung back and did not break. They have a tube draining that lung, which is considered collapsed until it kind of self-repairs, from what they said. The wound is not considered severe, although real and does require draining to avoid subsequent pressure on his heart, from what he was told. (I don't claim to be much of a medical authority, so if this doesn't make sense, I apologize.)

He has two broken lumbar bones in his middle lower back, but they are expected to heal themselves and no surgery is planned.

Finally, he has a broken right scapula and his right arm is in a sling to keep that steady for healing. Notable bruises include especially painful ones at the top of his right arm and on his left thigh, just above the knee. The one on the thigh is about the size of a softball, Mary Ann said. I took her word for it and did not request an examination. He said the knee itself was quite painful this morning, but that had abated by this afternoon. Other abrasions were scattered about; his right hand was bandaged up because skin was scraped off the backside. There was some scraping on the back of the left hand, but not enough to have been bandaged

They had just returned to the room from X-ray (again!) when we arrived; the techs wanted to have a second look at that upper right arm area near the shoulder, to make sure nothing else was broken. That had come back OK right away. He said lunch was unusually good, but he enjoyed it a lot more the first time he had it, if you know what I mean. He was able to get out of bed, tubes attached, to get in the wheel chair for trips to & from X-ray. No problems walking; he's unsteady due to the pain meds (morphine drip, Press Here for Pain Relief...) but otherwise ambulatory.

His spirits couldn't have been better, all things considered. But he is really distraught over having lost his companion of 48 years come this fall; The Chicken Hawk. He and Mary Ann (MA had seen pictures; I did not) agree: The car was simply demolished. There can't be a straight panel or structural member anywhere on the car.

He confirmed the following: Although the accident happened right at the eighth-mile finish line, what finally stopped the car's forward motion, tumbling and rolling and occasionally airborne down the grassy berm was slamming backwards into one of the scoreboard posts at the 1/4-mile finish line! He said he was airborne when he hit the post backwards about 20' above the ground(!), snapping off the post! Further, when the deck lid buckled, the trunk-mounted battery broke away (yes, he had a hold-down on it!) and continued on down the track another 300 feet! So, actually, the battery completed the most forward motion of any component.

Worst of all, Ted said, the car was running perfectly and he was certain -no, positive- that if they had been running the quarter-mile last night, he would have been in the nines at over 140 mph, breaking both into the 9s and 140 mph for the first time.

As it was, the car had posted excellent 1.47 60-foot times and a 6.46-second (or 6.48; he wasn't sure) eighth-mile at just over 112 mph -in the eighth- last evening. So close to the nines and 140 mph, but it was not to be.

The Dr's latest prognosis is that he will be hospitalized at least through Wednesday the 20th; they can't imagine him going home before then. Mary Ann suggested cards be sent to the house and she will be sure he gets them:

Ted Harbit
18994 North 125 East
Summitville IN 46070-9113


BTW: I wrote down and gave to them all good wishes from folks who had e-mailed back from last night's e-mails; messages received before we left for church about 8:15 AM, after which we went on over to Muncie as our church is about 1/4 of the way from our house to Muncie. I'll convey messages received since then as well.

Mary Ann said it is OK to call him on his direct line at the hospital: (765) 747-3833. But please be respectful of the fact that's it's a little much for him to talk all that long, and, especially, of time zones; we are in the easternmost time zone. He would enjoy hearing from everyone, though, so don't hesitate to call!

There had been a steady stream of visitors all day. The volunteer aide at the information desk looked up his room number and said, "He must be having quite a party; there are a lot of people up there!" They must have all left before we got to the room, though, as only MA and Missy were there. We left when two more racers from the track arrived.

That's about all for now. I hope the Studebaker Drivers Club Forum is back up soon. When it is, I'll post everything known to date under a new topic: Last Flight of The Chicken Hawk!

Please keep the whole family in your prayers. It looks like our friend Ted will be OK all around, but certainly a little worse for wear, bless his heart.

Cheers and best. Bob Palma

Sounds to me like some pretty serious injuries, epecially considering that an older body heals slower.
I hope that Ted recovers fully and quickly. Joel

Best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

wow...thats terrible news, I have known Ted and the Chickenhawk for over 25 years...I am glad he is ok, I am saddened about the car though..as all have said, it was a legend.....the very last pass I ever made in the roadrunner was against Ted and the 'Hawk

Ted is a super guy. I ran him a couple of times in stock eliminations at Bunker Hill in 69-70. I had a bronze '68 Sports Satellite that I ran in G/Stock. I think Ted ran maybe ran V/Stock. I was with Uncle Sam and worked across the street from the dragstrip. Grissom, AFB. Hope he mends real quick.
Lynn Dillingham

Sorry to hear and I hope he comes around w/little or no major issues. Every pass I make I pray it goes well and smoothly for myself and everyone else who`s racing.........

It was also a memorial night at the track for a fellow racer that had been killed in a street accident a few months prior. I am glad to hear Ted is doing well from what I have seen Hemi Joel reported.