24-Year-Old Race Car Driver In US Dies In “Road Rage Accident”
The crash is still under investigation, the Indiana State Police said.
Ashlea Albertson, a 24-year-old racing driver in the United States, died in an apparent road rage accident in Indiana on Friday morning. Ms Albertson was a race car driver for Tony Stewart Racing, which was created by the three-time NASCAR champion in 2000. She was a passenger in one of the two vehicles involved in the incident on Friday, Indiana State Police said in a Facebook post.
According to the officials, Ms Albertson was a passenger in a GMC Terrain driven by a 31-year-old male, while a 22-year-old male was driving a black Chevrolet Malibu. An initial investigation revealed the crash happened when the Terrain and the Malibu were driving alongside each other, both accelerating and refusing to let each other pass. Police say evidence from the accident, which includes video,showed that the two drivers began accelerating rapidly and refused to allow the other vehicle to pass.
The Malibu suddenly changed lanes right into the Terrain’s path and the two vehicles collided, police said. The SUV rolled over and Ms Albertson was ejected.
Ms Albertson was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. All the other people involved – the two drivers and a juvenile passenger in the Malibu – were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at local hospitals, police said.
Tony Stewart, who retired from NASCAR in 2016, wrote in a social media post that he had lost a teammate who had “an infectious personality and could light up any room”.
Today, I lost a teammate. @AshDogRacing had an infectious personality and could light up any room. She was a great race car driver that was involved in a road rage accident and lost her life. In the past, I’ve also gotten caught up in road rage. I hope that we can honor Ashlea by… pic.twitter.com/mnvPYeujWf
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) August 19, 2023
“She was a great race car driver that was involved in a road rage accident and lost her life,” Mr Stewart wrote.
“In the past, I’ve also gotten caught up in road rage. I hope that we can honor Ashlea by controlling what we can control on the highway. Losing her is a sobering reminder of how precious life is,” he added.
Meanwhile, the crash is still under investigation, the Indiana State Police said.
