A GM engineer sustained life-threatening injuries after a crash in a 2023 Corvette Z06 at the GM Milford Proving Grounds. The crash occurred in June, and resulted in the C8 Corvette Z06 splitting in half and catching on fire after it collided with a tree. Excessive speed is listed as a contributing factor in the accident.
According to a report from Detroit Free Press, the accident occurred on GM’s Ride and Handling Loop, which has a posted speed limit of 75 mph. A police report indicates that the driver lost control and that the Corvette Z06 left the road, traveling 350 feet across adjacent grass before entering the nearby woods. The vehicle then reportedly collided with a tree, splitting into two pieces just behind the B-pillar near the driver’s seat. The split occurred near the gas tank, igniting the vehicle on impact.
GM was notified of the crash roughly two minutes after the vehicle left the road. GM personnel called in a life flight to the University of Michigan Hospital. According to a GoFundMe page created by the driver’s sister, the GM engineer sustained multiple internal injuries and third-degree burns on more than 70 percent of his body, including his head and face. The GoFundMe page states that the driver will remain in the trauma ICU burn unit for life-threatening critical care for at least several months.
“We don’t know what to expect for his life and if he will be able to overcome this tragedy, but his family is committed to supporting him through all that he will need,” the page reads.
The driver, identified by Detroit Free Press as vehicle system integration engineer Shawn Getty, was reportedly conducting a routine test drive at the time of the crash. The prototype Corvette Z06 had just performed a complete vehicle software update, which was already in place in production vehicles.
The GM Milford Proving Ground first opened in 1924. The facility has recorded eight fatalities over the years.
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Comments
Prayers for him and his family.
Why would two morons give Steve’s comment a thumbs down? Whether the driver screwed up, it was a vehicle problem or some of other issue, why would you not want this person to live? 🤷♂️
🙏🏾
Driving beyond his abilities likely the cause
Yeah… There is a spin on this story. I have friends that were there. It wasn’t routine testing. He would have been in full safety gear and NOT going that fast on that part of the grounds.
Please leave time for a complete investigation and public report. OSHA will be involved.
The investigation is done both internally and by Michigan State Police. OSHA will not be involved in this.
So how fast was the car traveling when it left the track? I’m sure the computer records that data.
Was this a personal vehicle? Your comments would suggest there was no actual product testing going on and possibly this occurred during non-business hours.
Personal vehicles are not allowed on the track at any time, it was a company owned Z06.
hopefully he lives and recovers. I HAVE RACED GO CARTS WHEN I was a teen. A high performance car will kill you. I have had 4 CORVETTES , 2 Trans ams, a 73 Vega GT WITH A 283 SB. I now have a 2019 Mustang GT. YOU CAN OUTDRIVE THE CAR. Prayers for him.
Really should HIRE professional drivers to do track work ! Not guys with pencil protectors .
The “guys with pencil protectors” (aka development engineers) are the ones that develop the ride and handling characteristics of the vehicle via hands on driving experience.
Most professional drivers don’t have nearly enough technical background to translate desired ride and handling characteristics into technical part design and calibration specifications (ie, springs rates, bushings, alignment specs, sway bars, tire sizing and compounds, steering tuning, ride vs handling balance, etc, etc, etc.
I had a lot of respect for ride and handling development engineers at Milford. They were REALLY GOOD at what they did.
I do wish the victim the very best.
That section of road is not a high speed zone.
Many years ago in Palo Alto, CA a high technology company went public on a certain morning. The stock skyrocketed, making the CEO, CFO and many others instant millionaires. At lunchtime, the CEO and CFO went downtown to the Ferrari Dealer. The CEO wrote a check for a shiny new red Ferrari; and he and the CFO drove it off the lot and back into the Palo Alto hills. Those roads back there undulate and are not intended to be drive at high speed. It’s easy for any fast car to become airborne; and that’s exactly what happened. Both men were killed in the crash.
It was in Los Gatos, the back of Lake Vasona, 2 miles from than Ferrari of Los Gatos in a 308 known for easily doing 180’s