"You never know when your next race is going to be your next accident."
That straight-forward statement was recently offered by new Hall of Famer Dave Palone in a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article discussing accidents in harness racing. Palone was expected to be out of action for most of 2007 after breaking his leg in a spill at the Meadows.
"I shattered my femur in 40 pieces," Palone said. "It was just like a pane of glass. Screws and rods. I didn't know if I'd ever walk again, let alone race again."
Palone, who recently surpassed driver Cat Manzi for second place on the North American wins list, told the Tribune-Review that 2007 spill still affects the way he drives.
"There hasn't been a race go by that I haven't thought about it," he said. "I'm much more cautious since it happened. I think I'm probably a better driver, too. I don't take things for granted."
Aaron Merriman, the top dash winning driver on the continent despite not racing since his June 11 accident, is another driver not taking anything for granted. The Ohio native suffered a fractured neck, bleeding of the brain, two broken wrists and a shattered elbow when his horse, Sound Dragin, broke stride, took a misstep and went down near the three-quarters pole. Merriman spent three days in intensive care, beginning with emergency surgery on his right wrist that required five pins. Merriman, initially fearing his hand may require amputation, described as his hand "flipped upside down."
The most serious injury, however, is the left elbow.
"There were no bones left in my elbow," he said. "They tried to build me an elbow."
At first, doctors told Merriman he will never regain full use of his left elbow or right wrist. After the accident, it was feared his career in the sulky was over. Now, his prognosis for returning to the track has improved. Later, he was told he'd be out of action for at least a year. Merriman, admittedly optimistic, is pointing for 3-4 months.
As of June 29, there were 62 accidents in North American harness racing. In comparison, there were 122 accidents in 2009.
To read the full article with comments from Meadows veterans Dick Stillings and Doug Snyder as well as rising star Kyle Bolon, click here.
Aaron is a great young man
Aaron is a great young man who works as hard as any driver in the business. He takes on a greater risk than many as a lot of his drives are behind horses that are less than sound but that does not stop him from racing two tracks a day.
This is one tough kid !