DICK WITTIE HIT BY RACE CAR
Article submitted by William A. Greene
Info: from the Andover News
Friday night June 15, 1962, Richard “Dick” Wittie, local News Photographer and official cameraman for the Angelica Raceway had a close brush with death at the race track, when he was struck by a racing car at the beginning of the intermission between racing features.
“Dick” stopped in the infield to adjust his camera setting, in order to get a close-up shot of the winner of the last race, who was circling the track with the checkered flag, when a practice driver lost control of his car and skidded into him.
This practice driver had driven onto the track to warm up a car for the next feature and lost control of the car on a curve and then skidded sideways into the infield, striking Wittie with the side of the racer as well as the back bumper and sent him spinning thru the air.
The force of the impact smashed his watch, shook and bruised him up and cut his right leg. Due to shock, the full extent of his injuries wasn’t realized for a short time, but when this wore off it was necessary for him to be hospitalized for X-rays and treatment.
According to medical reports, no bones were broken, although it took 7 sutures to close the deep gash in his right leg which had been cut to the bone.
Mr. Wittie was released from Jones Memorial Hospital Saturday afternoon and is recuperating at his home in Andover.