BARNHILL ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY AFTER BC39 ACCIDENT
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (October 2, 2023)………Austin Barnhill remains on the road to recovery following a semi-feature crash during last Friday night’s Driven2SaveLives BC39 USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Barnhill (Wilmington, N.C.) underwent surgery on Saturday morning after being diagnosed with a shattered C6 vertebrae in his neck. The procedure lasted five hours, and for the first time since the accident three days earlier, Barnhill was able to walk on his own.
Austin’s mother, Kristi Barnhill, expressed her gratitude for USAC, the American Medical Response (AMR) and the Lawrenceburg Speedway Fire-Rescue teams and their immediate response to tend to her son.
“According to the doctors, for the extent of his injuries, he is a miracle,” Kristi stated. “A big part of that is because of the (safety) team, the facility we were at, and the response of the responders. This could have been a very different situation if things had not been handled as quickly and efficiently as they were, and for that, I will, nor will Austin, ever be able to show our gratitude that he can stand and walk. It’s going to be a process of recovery but he’s a tough kid with a huge racing family behind him along with family and friends.
As of Monday morning, his neck and throat remain sore, but doctors are optimistic on Austin’s progress. Austin began therapy on Monday and walked two laps around the Critical Care Unit floor at the hospital. Austin’s family reported that he could be moved to a surgery progressive room in the coming days.
The 23-year-old Barnhill made his USAC National Midget debut in 2021 and has made five feature starts in that time frame. He was competing for the Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports team at the time of his accident last Friday.
