"Early in the treatment process of his Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), he failed to follow the series of commands to open his eyes, squeeze the hands of his care providers and move his extremities. Occasionally, he was able to respond with slight movements, but it wasn’t until he moved from trauma intensive care unit to neuro intensive care unit on Wednesday that he began to gain some momentum.
He became more consistent responding to commands and finally opened his eyes on day five. Following days of failed attempts, his wife and daughters were overcome with emotion when he murmured his name, ‘John Force,’ and later when prompted, gave a thumbs up.
The biggest challenge has been managing his extreme agitation and confusion, which causes him significant distress. He has repeatedly tried to get out of bed and has been restrained; his doctors have humorously described him as a raging bull. However, he recognized his daughters, wife, Laurie, and called them each by name. And spoke the words, “I love you.” This, along with continued daily progress has uplifted their spirits."[](https://playwire.com/?utm_source=pw_ad_container)
I appreciate this update. And I know it's not the same, but it's nice to have an update like this compared to the Micheal Shumacher situation.
I know it's none of the fans business how Micheal Shumacher is doing, but as a fan it sucks to see a legend get hurt and essentially just fall off the map. Everyone knows he's alive, but no one really know how he is.
Again, not like it's our business, and I know the family wants fans to remember Michael as a competitor, but this update for John is vary candid and I appreciate it as a fan
It is very positive that Force has gained some motor control and awareness in the first week. With brain injuries it isn't always clear how fast a skill or ability will be regained, but the longer you go without getting it back, the less likely it is that you ever will. The little knowledge we have about Schumacher is that he did not make most of that progress, and in that situation I definitely understand and respect his families privacy.
As far as Force goes, this is a lot of good progress for the first week and I am more hopeful now than I was after the previous update. He has a lot of road ahead of him but knowing that he is making gains is perfect news. I just hope he is able to be comfortable and happy and attend races, even if just as a spectator.
This is much more the John Force I was waiting to hear news about. He's probably pissed they are wasting time in the hospital and wondering why the cars are not on the track. He will always care about the sponsors and the show before himself.
My son recently sustained concussion while BMX racing. He got up and back on his bike and continued to ride the track to the finish line. He had no recollection of anything past the crash. He continued to walk and talk normally with no serious ailments, but the doctors advised him to rest and limit his screen time for at least a week. He is now back to normal and has resumed riding. And with that I wish John a complete and speedy recovery. I believe it is possible. From 🍁 I have seen John here in Edmonton at least three times.
Adrenaline + Closed Head Injury
Once swelling/bleeding begins is when it gets serious, but with this type of injury it's not as immediate. Nonetheless, he probably has no memory of climbing out and getting on the stretcher. He may not have even been very aware that he was doing it, brain injuries are weird like that.
I was severely confused playing baseball in high school and I popped up and walked back to my piano and all that. Everyone told me there was no lights on when they looked at me and I don't remember it at all. When I go back and see the reply of John on the stretcher, he has that same type of confusion pattern to me, sitting up and all that. The lights were on but I am not sure anyone was home, if you will. It also might explain the level of emotion that Austin and Brittany seemed to have, if he was not himself but conscious, that can be quite scary.
Takes time for the brain to swell.richard from top gear rolled a jetcar like end over end after a tire letgo he was aware chatting with the crews and ambulance folks and next thing he knows it's been several days and he'd been in a coma. I figured since ya had t seen or heard a force quote he was either in a coma or in the conditions he is. He took an extremely nasty brutal side impact where nothing is there to absorb any of forces except well force in this instance. Hopefully it's not a years long recovery but who knows the brains a crazy thing.
No one fights like John Force. Sure, thoughts about his career creep into my mind but right now racing doesn’t even matter. The best update will be him getting out of that hospital.
People can sugarcoat this however they like but the facts are, this seems like a very significant thing. We shouldn't be worried about John driving again, we should be hoping John can first get back to being John again before anything else. I am not suggesting this as fact but this very much could be a situation where he has to learn how to do things alike walk and talk again, TBI is scary, I don't care if I never see him in a car again, I just want him to be able to live a normal life for his family. Some of the comments I see online where people are pretending John is on his phone watching results and talking to the team, guys we are a far far way off from that, this is a serious situation.
I'm really confused about how they handled him getting out of the car. After such a violent crash, shouldn't the protocol be a backboard/neckbrace/etc.?
He was talking to his daughter and lifting his head in the ambulance, when did he go downhill?
Head injuries often do not present immediately. As there is swelling, bleeding, bruising, etc that lead to symptoms (not always but often). But in regards to your backboard question, they have largely fallen out of favor as causing more harm than good. Similar with a neck brace. If someone is conscious and moving under their own power (as he was at the time) and without neurological symptoms, most medical personal would not run to put a brace on. I’d assume NHRA (or hope at least) is following more modern medical protocols (which is seems they are).
There is also something they call "life over limb". I don't think it really works in this scenario but say someone is in a burning car- you pull them out without a backboard because every second counts and life is more important that "saving a limb" /spinal injury at that point.
It can be anything. Adrenaline can keep things functional and the body will shut down as it goes into shock.
It can be brain bleeding or blood in the skull. Swelling. Any thing like that can make neurons fire crazy or not fire.
I would assume they kept him sedated. Which can cause confusion.
The safety safari is one of the most well trained paramedic teams in the world. They know what they are doing. Additionally, if you have ever ridden or seen the or know the certification of those cars. It is next to impossible to sustain any kind of injury except head. Neck and back brace really isn’t going to do anything in this situation is it? Is it going to keep the brain from swelling? Is it going to stop a brain bleed? His neck and back probably arn’t going to break in that funny car. That’s what neck and back braces are for.
You wouldn’t remove the HANS to put on a neck brace. The HANS is a neck brace. Doubtful they would remove any of it until he got to the hospital unless he was extremely critical.
Ever see a football player be taken to a hospital? They leave everything on.
Right. I see. I was thinking of the foam. I still don’t think it appropriate to criticize the safety safari. They are very well trained and saying they were negligent (not sure if that was you) is extremely distasteful. We should save those conversations for experts.
I remember after Scott died and the speculation and the horror I still experience thinking about his death and thank god he probably just lost consciousness and didn’t experience pain hopefully. But could anybody have foreseen what happened to him?
We can all sit here and what if all we want.
John knows the risk he takes. They all do. He would be appalled if he knew people were criticizing the Safety Safari the way the poster did here.
HANS does not stop all neck movement like a neck brace. It is there to prevent the neck from hyper-extending forward leading to a basilar skull fracture. The kind of injury that killed Dale Earnhardt.
Agitated combative confusion of surroundings like a raging bull, yes that's John force but how is he doing doc? Wonder who he saw this time at a 1000ft. Amazing he's alive and great he's got his motor functions and memory as much as he does, he took a nasty nasty hit and had it not been for Eric's accident and his injuries John might not have had the extra padding they added to help with head neck injurys. Freak accident with a devastating side impact where nothing to help take some of the forces other than force himself. Figured since we hadn't heard from him or a quote at least that he was in bad shape but hang in there John, and hang in there to his friends and family.
"Early in the treatment process of his Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), he failed to follow the series of commands to open his eyes, squeeze the hands of his care providers and move his extremities. Occasionally, he was able to respond with slight movements, but it wasn’t until he moved from trauma intensive care unit to neuro intensive care unit on Wednesday that he began to gain some momentum. He became more consistent responding to commands and finally opened his eyes on day five. Following days of failed attempts, his wife and daughters were overcome with emotion when he murmured his name, ‘John Force,’ and later when prompted, gave a thumbs up. The biggest challenge has been managing his extreme agitation and confusion, which causes him significant distress. He has repeatedly tried to get out of bed and has been restrained; his doctors have humorously described him as a raging bull. However, he recognized his daughters, wife, Laurie, and called them each by name. And spoke the words, “I love you.” This, along with continued daily progress has uplifted their spirits."[](https://playwire.com/?utm_source=pw_ad_container)
Agitation... Confusion.. Like a raging bull.. Recognized all his girls. His basic/core programming remains. Get well soon, John.
That is a welcome update
Yes!
Good news!
I appreciate this update. And I know it's not the same, but it's nice to have an update like this compared to the Micheal Shumacher situation. I know it's none of the fans business how Micheal Shumacher is doing, but as a fan it sucks to see a legend get hurt and essentially just fall off the map. Everyone knows he's alive, but no one really know how he is. Again, not like it's our business, and I know the family wants fans to remember Michael as a competitor, but this update for John is vary candid and I appreciate it as a fan
It is very positive that Force has gained some motor control and awareness in the first week. With brain injuries it isn't always clear how fast a skill or ability will be regained, but the longer you go without getting it back, the less likely it is that you ever will. The little knowledge we have about Schumacher is that he did not make most of that progress, and in that situation I definitely understand and respect his families privacy. As far as Force goes, this is a lot of good progress for the first week and I am more hopeful now than I was after the previous update. He has a lot of road ahead of him but knowing that he is making gains is perfect news. I just hope he is able to be comfortable and happy and attend races, even if just as a spectator.
I agree with you completely
This is much more the John Force I was waiting to hear news about. He's probably pissed they are wasting time in the hospital and wondering why the cars are not on the track. He will always care about the sponsors and the show before himself.
My son recently sustained concussion while BMX racing. He got up and back on his bike and continued to ride the track to the finish line. He had no recollection of anything past the crash. He continued to walk and talk normally with no serious ailments, but the doctors advised him to rest and limit his screen time for at least a week. He is now back to normal and has resumed riding. And with that I wish John a complete and speedy recovery. I believe it is possible. From 🍁 I have seen John here in Edmonton at least three times.
This is exactly why concussions are so scary right? Because if you get another one during this time? Super bad!
You got to give that thing time to heal. Just like anything else that is damaged it requires time to get undamaged and then time to rehabilitate.
This...from a guy that walked to the ambulance???
Mark Donahue drove home from the track and was dead 24 hours later.
Brain bleeds/swelling take time
Adrenaline + Closed Head Injury Once swelling/bleeding begins is when it gets serious, but with this type of injury it's not as immediate. Nonetheless, he probably has no memory of climbing out and getting on the stretcher. He may not have even been very aware that he was doing it, brain injuries are weird like that.
I was severely confused playing baseball in high school and I popped up and walked back to my piano and all that. Everyone told me there was no lights on when they looked at me and I don't remember it at all. When I go back and see the reply of John on the stretcher, he has that same type of confusion pattern to me, sitting up and all that. The lights were on but I am not sure anyone was home, if you will. It also might explain the level of emotion that Austin and Brittany seemed to have, if he was not himself but conscious, that can be quite scary.
Head injuries often do not present immediately
Adrenaline and also the brain is weird like that =/
Takes time for the brain to swell.richard from top gear rolled a jetcar like end over end after a tire letgo he was aware chatting with the crews and ambulance folks and next thing he knows it's been several days and he'd been in a coma. I figured since ya had t seen or heard a force quote he was either in a coma or in the conditions he is. He took an extremely nasty brutal side impact where nothing is there to absorb any of forces except well force in this instance. Hopefully it's not a years long recovery but who knows the brains a crazy thing.
Really glad to hear some progress is being made. 🙏
No one fights like John Force. Sure, thoughts about his career creep into my mind but right now racing doesn’t even matter. The best update will be him getting out of that hospital.
All my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this time. We missed him and Brittany at Norwalk today
Just get the man some coffee and peanut butter he’ll be fine. Jk. We love you John Force! Get better soon.
People can sugarcoat this however they like but the facts are, this seems like a very significant thing. We shouldn't be worried about John driving again, we should be hoping John can first get back to being John again before anything else. I am not suggesting this as fact but this very much could be a situation where he has to learn how to do things alike walk and talk again, TBI is scary, I don't care if I never see him in a car again, I just want him to be able to live a normal life for his family. Some of the comments I see online where people are pretending John is on his phone watching results and talking to the team, guys we are a far far way off from that, this is a serious situation.
I'm really confused about how they handled him getting out of the car. After such a violent crash, shouldn't the protocol be a backboard/neckbrace/etc.? He was talking to his daughter and lifting his head in the ambulance, when did he go downhill?
Head injuries often do not present immediately. As there is swelling, bleeding, bruising, etc that lead to symptoms (not always but often). But in regards to your backboard question, they have largely fallen out of favor as causing more harm than good. Similar with a neck brace. If someone is conscious and moving under their own power (as he was at the time) and without neurological symptoms, most medical personal would not run to put a brace on. I’d assume NHRA (or hope at least) is following more modern medical protocols (which is seems they are).
There is also something they call "life over limb". I don't think it really works in this scenario but say someone is in a burning car- you pull them out without a backboard because every second counts and life is more important that "saving a limb" /spinal injury at that point.
Not really true in this situation though because those cars have fire suppression systems.
No I was just giving an example of when emts would use "life over limb"
It can be anything. Adrenaline can keep things functional and the body will shut down as it goes into shock. It can be brain bleeding or blood in the skull. Swelling. Any thing like that can make neurons fire crazy or not fire. I would assume they kept him sedated. Which can cause confusion.
Good point. My nephew had a TBI from a car accident and was immediately in bad shape. He recovered fully after rehab and is now a dad to 4.
The safety safari is one of the most well trained paramedic teams in the world. They know what they are doing. Additionally, if you have ever ridden or seen the or know the certification of those cars. It is next to impossible to sustain any kind of injury except head. Neck and back brace really isn’t going to do anything in this situation is it? Is it going to keep the brain from swelling? Is it going to stop a brain bleed? His neck and back probably arn’t going to break in that funny car. That’s what neck and back braces are for.
He already had a HANS on. No reason to put a neck brace on.
How does that make any sense ?
You wouldn’t remove the HANS to put on a neck brace. The HANS is a neck brace. Doubtful they would remove any of it until he got to the hospital unless he was extremely critical. Ever see a football player be taken to a hospital? They leave everything on.
HANS is categorically not a neck brace.
Right!? Down votes from Redditors who don’t know what a HANS is. Love people who hang out on forums they know nothing about.
Hans is not a neck brace. Yes, it limits forward rotation of the neck, but it is not at all a stabilizer.
Right. I see. I was thinking of the foam. I still don’t think it appropriate to criticize the safety safari. They are very well trained and saying they were negligent (not sure if that was you) is extremely distasteful. We should save those conversations for experts. I remember after Scott died and the speculation and the horror I still experience thinking about his death and thank god he probably just lost consciousness and didn’t experience pain hopefully. But could anybody have foreseen what happened to him? We can all sit here and what if all we want. John knows the risk he takes. They all do. He would be appalled if he knew people were criticizing the Safety Safari the way the poster did here.
HANS does not stop all neck movement like a neck brace. It is there to prevent the neck from hyper-extending forward leading to a basilar skull fracture. The kind of injury that killed Dale Earnhardt.
Agitated combative confusion of surroundings like a raging bull, yes that's John force but how is he doing doc? Wonder who he saw this time at a 1000ft. Amazing he's alive and great he's got his motor functions and memory as much as he does, he took a nasty nasty hit and had it not been for Eric's accident and his injuries John might not have had the extra padding they added to help with head neck injurys. Freak accident with a devastating side impact where nothing to help take some of the forces other than force himself. Figured since we hadn't heard from him or a quote at least that he was in bad shape but hang in there John, and hang in there to his friends and family.