[sammyg2]

I just did a search on Danny Churchill and found this story. Danny kind of mentioned it but played it down, I didn't realize it was that serious:

I guess a lot of people have forgotten the details of Churchill's crash at Long Beach Marine Stadium. If anybody still has a very old Powerboat Magazine (May 1974) laying around, I did a six-page story with photos of the crash. Way too much information to give here but the "Reader's Digest" version goes something like this. Danny set a new quarter mile speed record of 126 mph at an NDBA drag race at the old Oakland Airport course in spring of 1972 pulled by Mac Christensen. He knew this was an incredibly dangerous sport and was offered an opportunity to try out a new parachute pack which would help him decelerate and be pulled back away from the ski in the event of a crash. He tested the new device with good success. Then came October 22, 1972 (he won the Catalina ski race that previous August) at Long Beach Marine Stadium. He was paid $300 for the exhibition and an additional $200 if he broke the record. Everything was out of synch for him that day....he arrived way behind schedule to the Stadium -- no time to prepare -- he never got a chance to talk to his driver (Christensen) before the run. About 100 feet before the end of the course, Danny got pulled over the front of his ski at 120+. He did a snap forward somersault so quickly that the shroud lines of the parachute went between his legs and then the parachute opened. The injuries were catastrophic -- his pelvis was split over 13 inches and damage to internal organs extensive. He lost over 13 pints of blood before he got to the hospital. He was at Long Beach Community for eleven weeks and he wasn't getting better (pneumonia, extensive hemorrhaging, allergic reactions to medication, bed sores, etc.). Fortunately he was finally transferred to UCLA Medical Center for more surgeries. Eight months after the crash, and still on crutches, he skied at the River with the help of some friends. After 18 months and 16 separate surgeries he was finally able to resume a near normal life and that's when he sat down for the interview for the story. He never returned to ski racing as a competitor, but he did regain most of his skills and was (and still is) one of the best hot-dog skiers of all time.