TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Eight Sprint Cup fans were injured on the final-lap wreck that sent the No. 99 Ford of driver Carl Edwards airborne into the safety fence on the front stretch at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.
The incident occurred at the conclusion of the Aaron's 499 race that was won by rookie driver Brad Keselowski.
Fans were treated for what were described as mostly minor injuries from flying debris, according to NASCAR official Jim Hunter and Dr. Bobby Lewis, medical director of the track. Neither Hunter nor Lewis could say with certainty whether the pieces of debris came from Edwards' car or from the fence, which suffered considerable damage after absorbing the high-speed impact.
"After the incident that occurred on the last lap, we are treating seven patients for injuries received from flying debris," Lewis said. "The injuries appear to be minor and non-life threatening. One female patient is being transported by air, because of traffic, for further evaluation and treatment."
The fan transported by air to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital was being treated for facial injuries that included what Lewis described as a minor laceration of her lip and "possibly a broken jaw."
Lewis added that an eighth patient, also a female, was air-lifted to nearby Brookwood Hospital after suffering chest pains that occurred during or shortly after she witnessed the incident while sitting in the same grandstand section as the others who were injured.
As of late Sunday, the track had not released the identities of either female patient or any of the other injured fans.
The remaining injured fans suffered what Lewis described as mostly minor "bumps, bruises and contusions." He did add that "there is the possibility of a couple of minor fractures" which he described as possible "broken extremities." Track spokesperson Kristi King later added that all six had been treated at and released from the track's on-site medical facilities, and that two of them said they planned to follow up with further evaluations from their own physicians.
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