1997 Budweiser Columbia Cup
Bud Driver Nearly Loses Hand in Flip
By Jeff Morrow, Herald Sports Editor
Diver Mark Allen knew Dave Villwock was in trouble Sunday as soon as he saw the right hand of the Miss Budweiser driver.
"When I went under (the boat), I saw the hand basically was almost all the way amputated," Allen said. "I had to make sure it stayed attached. And I knew seconds counted on this."
Allen, a primary diver for the Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association, was one of the first people to reach Villwock after the standout driver flipped the Budweiser in the final heat, landing the 6,000-pound boat upside down.
Villwock was revived, rushed to Kennewick General Hospital, then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Sunday night. By midnight Sunday, Villwock was in surgery "for the near amputation of his right hand," said Harborview spokesman Larry Zalin. "The surgery lasted six hours. The team was led by Dr. Thomas Trumble, who performed microsurgery to repair damage to tendons, nerves and arteries. And the surgery was successful."
Physicians gave Villwock a few hours to recover before sending him back into surgery at 9:45 a.m. Monday to repair his fractured right forearm.
Surgery was completed at 11:38 a.m.
As of 10:45 p.m. Monday, a Harborview nursing supervisor upgraded Villwock from serious to satisfactory condition.
"He had a concussion but has been awake and alert," Zalin said. The fact that Villwock is alive is a testament to the work of the dive and rescue team, said race officials.
"Thank God for the rescue team," Budweiser owner Bernie Little said Sunday afternoon.
UHRA Commissioner Bill Doner said the flip was one of the worst he'd ever seen.
Allen, a veteran diver from Kennewick who got a lot of his training with the Columbia Basin Dive and Rescue team, agreed.
"It was definitely one of the worst crashes for the driver," Allen said. "Dave's a super guy. I knew him when they came down here for testing. Most drivers don't talk to us much. But Dave always invited us over. He's a super guy. That's why this gets to me."
In addition to Allen, Kay Metz, Skip Stoker, Terry Thrall, Eric Steilau and Dave Miller were on the UHRA rescue sled. "And the Water Follies rescue team was right on top of it," Allen said. "They did a good job."
As the team arrived, one diver popped up above the water line. "He said it was a mess under there, and there was no way to get the driver from underneath," Allen said.
Allen's job is to go under the boat in a situation like that. That's when he saw Villwock's hand. The canopy was ripped open and filled with water. Villwock was unconscious and sitting upside down.
"It was bloody, and the water was murky, too," Allen said. "I felt for his head, and he didn't have his helmet on. So I put my hand on his face to see if his oxygen mask was on. It wasn't."
That's when Allen knew he had to work fast because it had been at least two minutes since Villwock first went under water.
"The canopy was jagged fiberglass. I'm surprised I didn't get cut myself," Allen said. "If I had given him air underneath the water, he might wake up, freak out and start fighting me."
Allen had to fight to get the steering wheel off. It was bent. Rescuers from above opened the escape hatch and pulled on the legs of Villwock, who stands 6-foot-5. Allen pushed up from underneath, using a collar to keep from damaging Villwock's neck.
Once Villwock reached the surface, the team worked to clear his throat until he could start breathing again.
"They talked to him, asking him questions and trying to get a response from him," Allen said. "You know, where he was? Things like that. He started answering some of them. That felt good."
The team put Villwock in a transfer boat and started stabilizing his hand. Villwock was then taken to an ambulance. While Villwock is expected to recover, his driving career is over for this season. Perhaps longer.
Villwock won the national title last year with the PICO American Dream. He was hired by Little to replace longtime driver Chip Hanauer, who retired last year after being hurt in a crash while qualifying for the Gold Cup in Detroit.
On Monday, The Associated Press reported Hanauer said that Little had asked whether he would be available to drive, as did Jim Lucero, manager of the Close Call racing team.
Driver Mark Tate sustained minor neck injuries in Sunday's race, and Lucero was unsure whether he could compete this weekend at Kelowna, British Columbia. Hanauer declined both offers.
"I appreciate the offers from both teams, but I am not interested in being a back-up or fill-in driver," he said.
Little, reached Monday at a Seattle hotel, had not talked to Villwock on Monday because of all the surgery.
"I'll be there (today)," Little said. "I want to see how coherent Dave is and talk to him about a backup driver. It's Dave's boat whenever he's ready to come back." Little said he expected to announce a driver today for the Kelowna race, so that whoever it is can get fitted into the cockpit of the T-3 boat.
"I'll tell you, though, I'll never be without a backup driver again," Little said. "I had Mark Evans under contract for two years. But Fred Leland wanted to sign him to a deal, and I honored that."
Asked about Hanauer, Little said "Chip's not going to go boat racing, in my opinion. I called Chip (on Sunday) because I wanted to talk about drivers. He made a recommendation to me about a year ago. And I wanted to talk about this driver."
Little did say there were a lot of drivers who have thrown their hats into the ring. Speculation is that it could be U-99 driver Mark Weber, but Little declined to confirm.
"I'm not trying to hide anything from you," Little said. "Whichever driver it is, we'll decide after I talk to Dave."
Little said he's concerned mostly about Villwock's health--as are most people.
"For me, that was probably the worst flip," said Allen. "I've been a diver for a long time and seen a lot of flips, but that definitely was the most damaging.
"Thank God he's going to be OK."
(Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, Tuesday, July 29, 1997)