CALL for Support - Racers burned at Lucerne

[Shoyrtt]

From Mark Jernigan's Facebook page:
"Hey everyone just wanted to give you an update on Mike and Jared.. Mike is still at USC Medical Center. Doctors have worked hard to keep Mike's leg.. Their hard work is looking to have paid off.. they are happy with the progress on his leg.. they are working to keep his foot and toes next.. The doctors are planning on taking him in for surgery to do more tissue cleaning around the burn areas.. Kim says Mike is still in pain but the nurses and doctors have worked hard to keep him comfortable.. Also he has sense of humor, even though he is hospital bed.. Jared is still at Arrowhead Regional. The skin grafts on Jared's arm and hands is off to a good start. Doctors are happy with early progress of the procedure. Things are looking good on Jared being released here shortly. He still in pain from the burns and where they grafted the skin from.. the doctors and nurses are continually monitoring his pain throughout the day to keep him comfortable. Jacque was able to take both of Jared's sons in yesterday to see him.. Jared is good spirits. On behalf of Mike and Kim(McComas Family), Jared and Jacque(Dernberger Family), the whole Ace Motorsports team thank you for all your prayers and positive thoughts.. Please keep them coming.. We are just beginning a long journey back to recovery.. To those that shared my original post please share these also.. Thank you in advance.. Jared sends his personal thank you with a picture.. Click here to support Mike Mccomas /Jared Dernberger organized by Ace Motorsports "

 

[Zambo]

Man, terrible news. I haven't seen Mike since probably my first Baja race in 2006 when he was chasing for our stock full team. Super friendly and knowledgable dude that made an impression on me as one of the good guys of this sport.

Difficult to operate window nets have been a pet peeve of mine for years. This is heartbreaking.

 

[sykette]

Hi Fellow Off-Roaders,

We can raise money to support their families!

Click here to support Mike Mccomas /Jared Dernberger organized by Ace Motorsports

This is an awful time for Jared, Mike and their families. I am not going to comment on the expert analysis that has been put forward on the cause of the accident that caused both riders to get so badly burned.

I will say that both families do not have insurance that will cover the cost of all the expenses associated with their hospital stay and recoveries. Jared has been released from Arrowhead after surgery on both arms and hands. He is now going into long term rehabilitation. Mike is still at USC Burn Center and his prognosis is still unsure. Decisions on his future operations are still being formulated, but the doctors and family should have better strategy this coming week. Mike’s stay will be extensive.

We need the off road community to contribute to their Go Fund Me account. 100% of the money goes to Mike and Jared’s family. Their out of pocket expenses will most likely exceed $500,000 dollars. Please contribute and ask your friends to help. We can raise money to support their families. The last thing these families need is to add financial woes on top of their physical and emotional wounds.

Please add to your social media platforms. Thank you. Dave Sykes- Syko Racing and Andataco Motorsports

 

[mebuildit]

I too was burned in a desert accident. My prayers go out to the journey that these two guys will have to endure.
If there is anything that I can do, offer help about what to do or expect, questions they may have please look me up.
Burns are a life long thing, and will need many surgeries after they are released. I've had 57 surgeries to date, so I know what to expect.
My very best goes out to them and their families.

 

[Acechase]

Here is a bit of an update on Mike and Jared..
Mark Jernigan is with Jacque Dernberger and 2 others.

21 mins ·
Wanted to give everyone an update on Mike and Jared.. Yesterday I was lucky enough to spend some time with Mike and Kim at the hospital. Mike is still in quite a bit of pain. They did skin grafts on Tuesday. Which is a very good step. Both legs are healing up.. The burns on his right leg and foot will take some time to heal.. the doctors are wanting Mike to have about 5,000 calories a day intake to help his body heal. Even in pain Mike still has his sense of humor.. When I told him he was going to owe Kim for taking care of him.. she replied "A trip to Hawaii, feeding me grapes on the beach while I read a book.. " Mike replied back with "yea with a slingshot".. it was great to see the humor, even as he is in pain.. USC+LAC Medical Center has had some very good doctors and nurses that are doing an incredible job monitoring and helping him heal.. Please keep those people in your prayers and positive thoughts along with Mike and Kim.. Today is Mike and Kim's 21st wedding anniversary.. I was lucky enough to be there the day they said "I do"... I talked with Jared last night. He is in good spirits.. Says his hands and arm are healing. Still painful but getting better. Says he is able to move his fingers. He is headed to Arrowhead Regional today for a check up.. Jacque has been doing the nursing at home cleaning wounds and rewrapping his arms. Please keep Jared and Jacque in your prayers and positive thoughts... thank you again from all the families and the Ace Motorsports Team .... Click here to support Mike Mccomas /Jared Dernberger organized by

 

[Alexander11]

So sad to know about the accident.!! My prayers go out with them for quick reovery..

 

[M.Tornel Jr]

Thanks for sharing man.

 

[sb4pro]

Get better soon and keep staying positive that’s 1/2 the battle

 

[Anger Issues]

We just donated. Great team, great people. We are hoping for the best in this rough time for both of you and your team. get well over time.

 

[jimpat]

Just returned home and found out about the accident, so sad !! We will help and also get my drag racing friends to donate also. Fire is the most terrible danger in any situation, specially in auto racing. Mike, if we can help in anyways, we'll be here
jim and joe patelli

 

[DuaneH]

Any updates? Hope the guys are doing well!

 

[OFFRD-JNKIE]

Any updates? Hope the guys are doing well!

Always good to post good news.. Mike has been moved from ICU. Doctors are very happy with his progress. He is heeling up well.. unfortunately he did lose part of his right leg, just under his knee.. along with toes on his left foot.. Kimmy and Mike are both anxious to get Mike closer to home.. Mike still has his sense of humor.. Please keep them in your prayers and positive thoughts.. Jared is doing well.. His skin grafts are healing nicely.. Jared and Jacque are both thankful for the prayers and positive thoughts and messages...

 

[Tony Riggs]

My thoughts and prayers are with Mike, Jared, and their families. Everything I have heard about this tragic accident is second hand from friends who raced on this team, I was not there. The Team was shaking down a relatively new Racecar that was a Race modified Textron XX in preparation for the Baja 1000. Marc Stein with Dave Sykes in the Co-Driver Seat took off from the start and they noticed that the Window nets were tougher than they should be to operate and that big guys in a small cars are very tight. The Car was working well and Marc and Dave turned it over to the second set of drivers who did there section and Cooper Commented that it was his best drive ever that the car was working great and they were having a great race. Mike and Jared got in the vehicle and took off as the third set of drivers, at approximately mile 14 the car sputtered to a stop and in a combination of switching to second fuel pump and trying to start the vehicle it burst into flames. Jared got out of the car quickly and realized Mike was still in the car, in the fire. They are not sure if his knees were trapped under the car steering wheel or that he was struggling to get window net open, but Mike was in the flames. Jared reached in the car and with a Herculean effort ripped Mike through the window net and out of the vehicle. Jared was burned in the process and for sure saved Mikes life. Anyone hurt is awful, but friends hurt is even worse my thoughts and prayers go out to the Ace Motorsports Team in this difficult time.

I am going to ask all of you to support them in there recovery and realize that fire is the scariest part of desert racing as we are on our own to put out the fire and usually have little or no outside help. Please go to the link at the top of the page and show your support for a guy who has lived and breathed off-road for decades. Every bit helps as Mikes Co-Driver Jared does not have insurance.

Now this is not the best time to bring up safety, but we all need to up our game and realize fire is going to get you if you do not prepare! Mike had a new 2 layer suit, but made a poor decision that many of us have made including myself. He decided because of the heat of the day he would wear a single layer suit he owned. I am not putting any blame on Mike as I have made poor decisions in the past. I remember testing a Trophy Truck in Flip Flops and shorts, and my gear was in the back seat of the car.

In Talking with Dave Sykes after the race he is adding Flame out system to any vehicle he races in and going to get himself some new Gear as he has been wearing a Hand me down suit from my Toyo Tires Racing Days that is over 10 years old. We do not tend to think about the bad things when we are doing the fun things, fire is real.

There are many questions I have about how the flame got into the drivers cockpit, but that is for another thread. I could go on and on about what you as a racer need to do to fire proof a vehicle and have learned from experience and several race fires that I am lucky to say were all put out. Getting out quickly is the key, and I have seen many window net systems that are tough to operate in my years of working on Race vehicles. Take note from this Tragic accident if your window nets are quirky, FIX THEM BEFORE THE NEXT RACE!

Mike and Jared please heal! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families.

FYI - We had a car fire in Baja at the 1000. I have a flameout system in the car that failed...twice! First time it didn’t go off and second time the system emptied but nothing happened. We needed fire extinguishers to put the fire out.

I will be posting on this subject with a video of the fire very soon. My point is, there should be several layers of protection in your fire safety system. Most flame out systems are quite costly, including the one I had, and it failed. If we had rolled the car and/or were unconscious that system would have let us burn. I will post information after I speak with the company and see what their response is.

I pray for these racers speedy recovery and encourage others to please donate to them. Even if just $5 or $10 we all need to support these guys. Rember that we all do this and have a passion for off road racing and it truly is a big family! How many times have you had complete strangers go out of their way to help get your car fixed and going again or something similar? Let’s support these men....

 

[speedfun]

Burns are the worst !!! It will be a ton of pain but glad to see they will recover.. Best wishes guys. Your in my prayers

 

[Shoyrtt]

Here is another update from Mark Jernigan:

This is a picture of Jared Dernberger.. He was recently honored by Exchange Club for an act of heroism. He pulled long time friend Mike McComas from a burning Race car on September 29th. Both were racing at the PCI Race Radios 300 put on by MORE Racing. The car became inflamed in a giant fireball during the race. Jared was able to get himself out. But looking back saw that Mike had not gotten himself free from the car. Jared went back to the car and pulled Mike free..Jared suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns going back for Mike as the car continued to burn. Jared is still healing from skin grafts and multiple burns. Mike's burns were much worse, without Jared's selflessness Mike may have not been able to get out of the car. Mike was able to finally leave LA County/USC Hospital just short of two weeks ago. Where he received multiple skin grafts and also had part of his right leg amputated due to the severity of the burns. Doctors are saying his grafts and multiple other operations are healing well. Mike is currently in a Ballard Rehabilitation Hospital in San Bernardino. Doctors are happy with his progress and is scheduled to come home December 12th.. We are all looking forward to Mike finally coming home.. thank you to all that have followed this incredible story. please keep all the positive thoughts and prayers going..

 

[RacrDude]

Hard to read about this accident. Had a good friend die from a fire while pre-running, the other burned bad with amputated limbs in the same accident. I'm so Glad to hear these guys are on the road to recovery with their good spirits and humor, albeit a long and painful one. Donation Sent.

 

[RacrDude]

" the pressure gauge was reading under 10Lbs. well below its 40 lb operating pressure. per Mikes instructions Jared cycled the secondary fuel pump on then off to see if there was a pressure change, it didn't change the read (which is taken at the fuel rail). when mike attempted to restart the car it exploded.

. our best guess is that the rail developed a crack that slowly grew and when the pressure became too low the car would no longer run. it is possible that cycling the pump made things worse and caused a stream to flow so that when mike tried to start it, it shot fuel onto the exhaust which would have been extremely hot form the lean condition. This is only an educated guess.

remember that this is not the first racecar to burn up and it wont be the last. if the Landshark can burn so can a garage built 1400 or a 16 car, a UTV or even a trophy truck. please everyone be safe". >>>>>>

COOPREY...question for you Sir... Was the fuel pump "On" when they re-started the car ? I'm going to assume if "Yes", Assumption again... during the commotion that ensued after the explosion, the fuel pump was left "On" ?? Years ago, while re-wiring a race car and installing a electric fuel pump, my dad suggested that with a "Electric" fuel pump, that we install a Oil Pressure Switch to the Fuel pump Power lead. Why ?? When no oil pressure, Fuel pump turns off. Most, if not all Cars today with electric fuel pumps, have some kind of safety fuel shut off switch. Curious to hear your reply, and thoughts.

 

[_]

" the pressure gauge was reading under 10Lbs. well below its 40 lb operating pressure. per Mikes instructions Jared cycled the secondary fuel pump on then off to see if there was a pressure change, it didn't change the read (which is taken at the fuel rail). when mike attempted to restart the car it exploded.

. our best guess is that the rail developed a crack that slowly grew and when the pressure became too low the car would no longer run. it is possible that cycling the pump made things worse and caused a stream to flow so that when mike tried to start it, it shot fuel onto the exhaust which would have been extremely hot form the lean condition. This is only an educated guess.

Post reading the above statement, I wish to state in an effort to help avoid these types of fires, it is possible with current technology to monitor both fuel pump status & fuel pressure in most vehicles, allowing for automated shut off of the fuel pump if fuel pressure falls below a pre-defined operating range during fuel pump operation. Note: There are other conditions tied to this automation, but that discussion is not for this thread.

Glad to read both are making miraculous recoveries....!!!

 

[Bricoop]

Post reading the above statement, I wish to state in an effort to help avoid these types of fires, it is possible with current technology to monitor both fuel pump status & fuel pressure in most vehicles, allowing for automated shut off of the fuel pump if fuel pressure falls below a pre-defined operating range during fuel pump operation. Note: There are other conditions tied to this automation, but that discussion is not for this thread.

Glad to read both are making miraculous recoveries....!!!

Where would you put the fuel pressure gauge? If it's the Fuel rail which fails, would the gauge still pick that up? Maybe the tachometer would be better?

 

[_]

Where would you put the fuel pressure gauge? If it's the Fuel rail which fails, would the gauge still pick that up? Maybe the tachometer would be better?

Per Racrdude's post: "the pressure gauge was reading under 10Lbs. well below its 40 lb operating pressure." Obviously, the method used to monitor fuel pressure provided an indication of a problem prior to the catastrophic end results.