No matter how far modern safety standards can go in motorsport, there will always be a large degree of risk in being a racing driver. James Hinchcliffe learned that firsthand during practice for the 2015 Indianapolis 500.
The 38-year-old opened up about his life-threatening injuries after crashing out at the marquee event almost a decade ago on the Red Flags podcast. “I shouldn’t have lived honestly I shouldn’t have survived that accident,” explained Hinchcliffe.
One of the biggest issues right after the crash for the Canadian driver was the fact that a suspension rod had just pierced his leg. The loss of blood meant that Hinchcliffe had to be given 22 units of blood when a human body can only take 11.
James Hinchcliffe (@Hinchtown) released from hospital one week after life-threatening crash: http://t.co/dfZTXQ5RUi pic.twitter.com/sgYPhGFfpX
— FOX Sports: IndyCar (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 27, 2015
That said, he made a miraculous recovery — something he described as relatively painless. A testament to his fortitude was that he clinched pole position for the Indy500 the very next year.
Hinchcliffe went on to detail how the experience of going through a near-death experience of that sort changed him as a person. However, despite this, every time the visor went down, he was the same racing driver.
Hinchcliffe credits national TV debut to Indy500 crash
The 38-year-old also explained how the accident actually helped him get a different perspective on life. While Hinchcliffe hung up his IndyCar helmet back in 2021, he’s gone on to pursue many things in life which he credits to the accident itself.
“Personally I mean huge, huge… [I got a] complete different outlook on life. Complete different appreciation for things in your life, people in your life… you learn what’s actually important and what’s not,” he added.
When the hosts quizzed him jokingly whether his appearance on Season 23 of Dancing With the Stars was part of his appreciation for the larger picture in life, Hinchcliffe responded by saying that if he hadn’t suffered that accident back in 2015, he would never have done that show.
“Let’s put it this way. If I hadn’t been through that there’s no f**king way I would have done that show. You learn what’s important what’s not important. So, again, pre-accident if they had asked me to do that show I’d be like there’s zero [chance],” he concluded.
