Marshal killed following Canadian Grand Prix incident

2013 Canadian Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

The FIA has confirmed a marshal lost his life following an incident at the circuit following the Canadian Grand Prix.

The following statement was issued by the FIA after today’s race:

“The FIA is sad to announce the death of a Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada circuit worker, at 6:02 pm.

“The worker, a member of the Automobile Club de l’Ile Notre Dame, was the victim of an unfortunate accident that occurred at the end of this afternoon’s Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada.

“The worker was helping to recover a car which had stopped during the race. The recovery vehicle had lifted the car to return it to the pits and while doing this the worker dropped his radio and attempted to pick it up. As he did this, he stumbled and was hit and run over by the recovery vehicle.

“The worker was transported via helicopter to Sacre-Coeur Hospital where he was treated by the traumatology department of Dr Ronald Denis, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Dr Jacques Bouchard, Chief Medical Officer of the Grand Prix. Unfortunately, the worker succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

“The FIA, l’Automobile Club de l’Ile Notre-Dame and the Formula One Grand Prix du Canada want to communicate their deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim. The identity of the worker cannot be revealed at this time.”

2013 Canadian Grand Prix

Browse all 2013 Canadian Grand Prix articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

71 comments on “Marshal killed following Canadian Grand Prix incident”

  1. Such a shame, may he rest in peace.

  2. Gasp….. how awful. Such a tragedy.

  3. It’s extremely sad to hear this has happened. These are the people who work to help keep others safe and it’s tragic to learn one of them has lost their life.

    1. Amen to that.

    2. My thoughts exactly. Very sad to read this.

    3. very much so.

      1. Agreed of course. My condolensces to his family and friends. Racing would not happen without these workers, who I believe are virtually all volunteers, so thank you to all volunteers who obviously risk harm doing what they do.

    4. David not Coulthard (@)
      10th June 2013, 14:15

      Yes…..indeed.

  4. Horrible news.

    In an era where driver safety standards in Formula 1 are as high as they ever have been, it’s far too easy to forget about the dangers that track volunteers face every race weekend just to enable the sport to go racing and for us to enjoy watching the best drivers in the world battling it out in the best cars in the world.

    I feel horrible for the marshal’s family, for his colleagues who will be going through emotional torture at this time and for everyone involved with the Canadian GP who, together, make it one of the most anticipated and celebrated races of the year. A great tragedy for the entire Formula 1 community.

    1. Hear, hear. May he rest in peace.

  5. RIP !
    Marshals do a great job and without them we’d have no racing, this sounds like a bit of a freak accident and is terribly sad news. Thoughts go out to his family and friends and all of the other people working alongside him in Montreal today.

  6. R.I.P. Thoughts with the family.
    It is always a massive shame when someone dies under circumstances like this; it really does highlight how dangerous this sport can become, and the sacrifices and lengths these marshals go to in order to ensure as smooth and enjoyable race. They do not get half the recognition they deserve.

  7. Really sad news. RIP

    I inmediately remembered what Brundle said during the race about that incident, that he’d leave Gutierrez car there, as putting a crane trying to recover a car, with not much of the race left, with marshalls around it, all that very close to the track, was a very dangerous idea. So sad it ended up being that way.

    Such a terrible thing.

    1. Yes . that gives me the chills to think about it now . He said something along the lines of ” Leaving the Sauber is safer than bringing a big vehicle onto the track which might cause some harm ” .

      They have to ensure that this does not repeat especially in street circuits with no run-off areas. Feeling sad for the guy .

      1. i sadly predicted on this site about a month ago i thought the next injury/worse would be a marshal due to some near misses we have had (in cars and bikes).

        When the truck was going down pit lane i said to my brother there had to be better way of doing that, when damon had to jump out of the way.

        The truck was going forward and one of the basics of forklift/and other trucks is when you cant see in front of you due to size of your load you go in reverse and look over your sholder. Its a tragic accident but things like that will be looked at.

    2. In this case the situation happened well after the race, this does not invalidate what Martin Brundle said (which was common sense), but eventually the car had to be removed from that corner to the pits, that is when it happened.

      1. Yep, this inncodent has nothing to do with ‘safty standards’ in F1 really, it was a tradgic accident that could have happen at anytime to anyone regardless of how safe the sport its.

        Condolences to his family, sad.

        1. Though its very tragic things can & must be learned from this.

          The truck was being driven with load infront that was blocking his vision. That shouldnt happen. It was driving down the pit lane with the car in the air. That should not happen. Damon had move the sky guys out of its way. It should be put on the back of a flat bed truck. Not dangling in the air where bits could foll off and do all sorts of damage to others.

          more money should be spent on marshals in F1, sbk, moto gp etc

          Very tragic. My thoughts go to his family.

  8. Terrible news. Marshals often put in a lot of their time to ensure we as spectators can enjoy our motorsports and sometimes for little reward, other than doing what they love.

    My thoughts are with his family and friends. My dad was a marshal at Zandvoort for over 12 years, and I can only imagine how terrible this news is for them…

  9. Dreadful news. It’s important we properly acknowledge the work of these brave volunteers, without whom there would be no motorsport. I’m sure I speak for everyone here by expressing that my thoughts are with his friends, family and colleagues.

  10. I had a sly dig at Canadian marshall’s tripping over at recent GP’s but this is awful news.. Maybe they will come up with a safer method for moving crashed cars in future that doesn’t require people to stablize it.

  11. Such a sad way to end a GP weekend. Marshals are probably the most overlooked people in the sport, and yet they take a much greater risk than most involved. Thoughts with his family

  12. Really sad news. My thoughts are with his family. RIP.

  13. This is so sad, especially since the marshals are all doing this out of their love for the sport and not for fame or fortune. It’s a sobering reminder of how dangerous this sport can be, for drivers, marshals and spectators alike. Thoughts are with his family in this difficult time. RIP.

  14. RIP …. Sad news.

  15. RIP, really unfortunate and tragic.

  16. This is truly sad and shocking news. Deepest condolences to the marshals family and friends.

    But it serves as yet another tragic reminder of the inherent danger that marshals face at every motorsport event.

  17. Heartbreaking.

  18. Horrible news, and it sent a chill down my spine when I read it. The exact same chill when I read about Dan Wheldon.

    Marshalling is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and it’s a huge shame this had to happen. It was only inevitable that it was going to happen again in F1.

    The jobs those men and women do are massively overlooked, and it’s painful to have to come to terms with the first death in our sport for a good 12 years now.

  19. As racing drivers, we are so privileged to have these volunteers to help out of their own accord; without them we wouldn’t be racing and doing what we love to do. Such a shame to hear these stories. May he Rest In Peace and thoughts to the family and friends.

  20. Rui Pedro Moreira
    10th June 2013, 1:45

    RIP

    indeed it’s a shame but, why are those canadian marshals so clumsy?!

    1. what is wrong with you?

  21. Saw this from GS11 and wondered how he fared. They were still taking Gutierrez’ car back to the pits when people started rushing the track to get to the podium. It looked like he was run completely over by the lift. The ambulance came from across the track and was slightly delayed getting to him because of all the fans heading to the podium and then delayed again getting him out just because of how many people were in the area by the time they had him loaded. I suppose under the circumstances he was fortunate to have that much medical attention that close at hand. Even with the crowds the ambulance was out of the area within 5 minutes or so. Tragic that it still wasn’t sufficient to save his life.

    I’m curious, if anyone knows, how much training the marshals have usually or what kind of safety procedures are standard? Earlier in the day we saw another near-miss with two marshals helping a lift remove one of the Formula 1600 cars from the support race. The front left tire was off and the suspension was hanging free and exposed. The two marshals were steadying the car, but as the lift ran over the kerb at T2 the car jerked pretty heavily and one of the marshals had to jump clear of catching a suspension rod in the chest.

    Just have to echo what several other posters have said that this is definitely a sobering glimpse of the risks these guys are taking. I know I’ll look at it differently the next time I’m tempted to complain about how long a sector has been yellow flagged or how long the safety car has been out.

  22. Gosh, that’s awful. Rest in peace.

  23. Awful RIP Motorsports in dangerous, no one should ever forget that.

  24. I was rushing to the podium when it happened. My friend was forced aside while running by security as he saw the marshal laying on the ground.

  25. Truly sickening. Thoughts are with the family.

  26. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    10th June 2013, 2:45

    Horrible news. :(

    My condolences to his family.

  27. Terrible news. Just put a dampening on the whole weekend. How ironic though as Martin was saying they shouldn’t have tried to move the car from that spot with only 4 laps to go and that double yellows would have been a better option as drivers hate to see crains & marshal’s running around like chickens so close to the track.

  28. I don’t think this incident is relevant to Brundle’s comments as the incident happened after the race and the car would’ve had to be returned to the pits regardless of what they did during the race.

    1. I know but it is very ironic that he sensed danger , all the same .

    2. Yeah, I’m not sure this was avoidable. Nothing to with cars on the track or anything else. It might’ve been better to wait until the pits/podium area were clear of fans, but it’s impossible to say if all that activity contributed to the incident at all; and if the car had still been there when the race ended it would’ve been mobbed by fans and the marshals would not have been able to do the recovery safely. Just a tragic accident.

  29. What an absolute shame. Terrible news to hear, and it’s such a sad reminder of how quickly someone can be lost.

  30. Wow, I was there at the race sitting in the second corner. I did not see the fatal incident, but after the race I went down to the track opening after turn two on the outside after the grandstand to get on the track to run up to see the podium ceremony. Initially they did not let fans on the track, but just a few random vehicles and a couple of small cranes. I thought it was strange that they wanted all these vehicles diving on the circuit when they knew there would also be fans running towards the pits/podium. Once the anthem started playing, they let us out, and I sprinted as hard as I can remember towards the podium, but the marshals were busy moving vehicles and cranes around with all these fans running, and then I realized how dangerous this really was. I was running on the grass between the track and pit exit and even a tow truck followed right behind me on the grass honking for me to get out of the way. I got to the podium as the anthems finished. I think it would have been smarter to keep vehicles off until the podium rush is over. Or not let fans on the track (which would be hard to stop). But with both out there for those 10 minutes, it was chaos. Sad end to a wonderful Weekend.

  31. RIP. :-(

  32. With all due respect to the family of the deceased, the canadian race organisation really need to get its **** together. The footage of _two_ marshalls stumbling along the side or right into the middle of the track from two (one) years ago still is very clear in my mind.

  33. I may be wrong on this (I’m sure I am) but this is the first safety worker that I’ve heard of being killed since the 2004 death of Roy Weaver at Daytona Speedway in a NASCAR support series race. I mean I’m sure there has been some especially on the local/regional levels across the world, but as far as “big league” races go this is the first I can recall since 2004.

  34. This really is sad news, and a stark reminder of why safety needs to remain paramount in all we do in Motorsport. Myself I am part of the East African Rally Championship, which next week sees our round in Tanzania come to Dar Es Salaam and I will be there as results officer for the week.
    Here in Tanzania we have had a series of safety seminars and meetings over the last few years that aim to tackle this kind of accident directly. Its easy to focus on the safety of the drivers, co-drivers and teams in service park or pits, but lets not forget the people that volunteer and put their lives at risk in other areas of the sport, not least someone like this who was removing the car for the safety of everyone else. I will be bringing this up in the first stewards meeting as a reminder that we all need to pay attention at all times, and that even in the top flight of motorsport (F1) there are accidents that can be as serious as this, and even when no cars are driving at full racing speeds. We need to keep our eyes open at all times, and remember our jobs when running these events anywhere in the world. An accident like this could kill the sport entirely in our country. Thoughts are with his family at this time.

  35. Abdurahman (@)
    10th June 2013, 7:15

    Oh my goodness. Horrible. I think the FIA is going to have to foot the bill and set up a dedicated crash/recovery/tow truck/flat bed team that travels from race to race and has the absolute best gear and best training

    1. The guy tripped & fell infront of a swiftly moving vehicle, it could’ve happened to anybody rather easily.

  36. With our deepest condolences to his family and friends, our thoughts are with you.

  37. Such a shock to hear this news, my thoughts are with his family and friends.

  38. Awful news.

    R.I.P.

  39. THese guys are heroes, and it’s because of them that GP and races in general can be held. They look like ghosts because they have a background job, but a relevant and important jobs, because if wasn’t for them, million of fans worldwide couldn’t see, and enjoy a real race. For them and for his family, my thoughts and thank you, it’s because of them that i can enjoy on the other side of the world the joys of the Gp’s.

  40. Horrible, horrible news, to me made especially dreadful considering Martin Brundle was discussing the dangers of having recovery vehicles out during the race.

    It is such as shame to hear those that serve to protect life losing their own. RIP.

  41. Very sad – a tragedy even. I hope that lessons can be learned and applied to future GP’s to enhance safety not just of competitors, but also marshals, who have a thankless task…

  42. This is particularly sad as it doesn’t sound like something inevitable when it’s clear there’s nothing to do, but more like an unfortunate mix of events, something accidental which could have been avoided. What’s more, he was not doing his job but volunteering to help the event be made possible, it’s thanks to people like him that F1 can continue going on. It’s a shame this has happened and I’m certainly hoping it will never happen again.

  43. That’s terrible to hear, may he/she R.I.P

  44. :( poor guy

  45. Such a sad and tragic news. Condolences to his family and friends.

  46. Rest in peace, and you may be a marshal at the track of the skies, where many of your colleagues and drivers are. :(

  47. Such a wonderful day with blue skies and a good race, this had to happen.
    An accident that just happened, may he Rest In Peace and a salute to him and all marshals out there too.

  48. Oh dear :’-(

  49. R.I.P You will always be loved

  50. A horrible news to hear the death of anyone, i feel really sad for this guy especially because he was in charge of the safety of the drivers and the fans but i do hope that after this incident the FIA will made some extra procedure to guarantee the safety of the Marshals so that no similar accident occurs again
    My thought are with his family and friend
    RIP

  51. Nathan (@il-ferrarista)
    10th June 2013, 14:05

    Tragic, may he rest in peace…

  52. Very sorry to hear this. It really puts everything in perspective. My heart and prayers go out to family and friends.

  53. Damn, I was there at the race, sitting at the start finish line. We wait in the grandstand and take pictures from there of the podium, and commented on the fact that all the vehicles running around immediately were dangerous, simply due to the fans rushing onto the track towards the podium ceremony. That puts pressure on the marshals and workers to rush, and in this case get the car of Gutierrez out of there and down the pitlane. Heck, David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan had to jump out of its way, along with other media people. I have picture of the vehicle carrying the car in the pitlane that is so much more ominous now, dammit….

    I have no idea why they don’t wait until after the race celebrations to use the various vehicles, move cars and such. I mean, they leave the race cars at the entry of the pitlane at the other end due to all the activity, lining them up for scrutineering.

    My other comment here goes to the firing of the previous FI head doctor, Gary Harstein, disciple to the great Sid Watkins. He was fired by the FIA after last year’s Austin GP for raising safety concerns that apparently ticked off Jean Todt and one other. Rumour is most drivers were not happy about it. Now we have the first death in F1 in a long time.

  54. How terrible

  55. Very sad. Hopefully F1/FIA will do the right thing and see his family (if he has any) is well taken care of.

Comments are closed.