John Westbrook testifies in lawsuit against Williams Grove Speedway

John Westbrook, center, leaves the Cumberland County Courthouse in Carlisle with his family on July 17, 2014. Westbrook suffered injuries in a crash at Williams Grove Speedway that left him a quadriplegic in 2008. The prosecution is seeking medical care expenses, and they are also suing Williams Grove Speedway for pain and suffering. Christine Baker | cbaker@pennlive.com

(CHRISTINE BAKER)

CARLISLE — When John Westbrook's car left the track during a sprint car race at Williams Grove Speedway, it fell about 16 feet from where it went over a guardrail to where it came down at the bottom of a drop-off.

But Westbrook would not have received the injuries that rendered him a quadriplegic if the racetrack in Mechanicsburg had installed a catch fence, or leveled the drop-off, according to testimony Wednesday in Cumberland County Court.

The third day of a jury trial in Westbrook's lawsuit against Williams Grove continued Wednesday morning. Westbrook is claiming the track's negligence is at fault for his injuries.

But Brigid Alford, Williams Grove's attorney, is arguing Westbrook knew the risks that come with racing, and had signed a release like all drivers do before entering a race, relieving the speedway of liability.

Mechanical and bioengineer Robert Nobilini testified that had there been a catch fence to prevent Westbrook from falling off the drop-off, or if the drop-off had been made level with the track, Westbrook's injuries would not have occurred.

Westbrook's spinal cord injuries are compression-related, coming from the impact of falling 16 feet onto a hard dirt road. The force of the car hitting the road, and then Westbrook's head and helmet compressing down on his spine, caused the fracture of his C-5 vertebrae, Nobilini said.

But if the drop-off was leveled, or a catch fence had been put in place, Westbrook would have fallen only 5 1/2 feet, and "as a result, the energy from such a drop would have been reduced significantly to the point where he wouldn't have fractured his spine and had his spinal cord injury," Nobilini said.

A defense expert who has not yet testified issued a report that a Hans device could have prevented Westbrook's injuries, a claim with which Nobilni disagreed. The device, used to help keep a driver's head secured in a race car seat, only prevents the head from being thrown forward in a crash, and not compressed downward, he said.

And because of his injuries, Westbrook will require 24-hour medical care for the rest of his life.

Physician Ross Noble, who specializes in spinal-cord injury, testified that due to the crash, Westbrook will face many difficulties. His legs do not function at all, Noble said, but Westbrook has some use of his arms.

He needs help getting from his wheelchair into bed, the shower and cars. His daily living functions are limited, and his specific spinal cord injuries have a poor diagnosis for recovery, he said.

Constant care will be needed because Westbrook has no feeling in the lower part of his body, and cannot detect when he's touching something hot, for example. Those with spinal cord injuries often suffer from foot problems, which need to be constantly monitored.

Additional surgeries may be required throughout his life, Noble said.

And rehabilitation consultant Mona Yudkoff started running through some of the annual costs Westbrook's care requires. Spinal cord therapy, for example, comes to about $3,500 per year, and equipment such as wheelchair upgrades and lifts come to roughly $17,000 per year, she said.

Westbrook's attorney, David Inscho, told the jury in his opening arguments the total cost of Westbrook's medical care for the duration of his life will come to about $6 million.

Yudkoff's testimony will continue Wednesday afternoon.