We hear of season-ending injuries. We hear of career-ending injuries. But we rarely hear of life-ending injuries.  That is what happened to IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon.  He was a very successful driver and was only 33 years old.  He died from an accident he was caught in that happened at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past Sunday.  This was a freak, unavoidable accident, but events like this give us a reason to think about ourselves.

I believe that the passing of Dan Wheldon really shows us how much we shouldn't take our lives for granted.  If a driver in a car with the best possible safety that is designed to withstand almost anything and still keep the driver safe cannot keep the driver safe, how is it not a miracle that we make it through every day unscathed?

Dan Wheldon was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  There isn't anything you can do to avoid an accident like that when you are going over 200 mph.   This shows us how fragile and precious our lives are.  Probably not in a racecar, but in the case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Dan Wheldon could have been any one of us.

With this event I have to think, "What if Dan Wheldon was a close friend, a member of my family or myself?  Would I have any regrets?"  We aren't guaranteed another day, another hour, or even another minute.  In a split second, it could all be gone.

When an event with this kind of magnitude happens, it causes you to stop and think.  Wheldon and other drivers realize that they are putting their lives at risk when they step into their cars, but it is still shocking when the risk becomes reality.  

Dan Wheldon was 33 years old and had a family.  I am sure his family believed that it was just going to be another race.  I am sure they were aware of the risk, but I doubt it was ever expected.  I really feel for them. They have my sympathy and are in my prayers.

This horrid accident with cars on fire, airborne and flipped upside down appeared unreal; almost like an action movie or video game.  The problem was that this was reality.  This was the last race in the IndyCar series and was supposed to be a day of celebration and crown a new champion, but in this disastrous day, the last thing anyone wanted to do was celebrate.

Danica Patrick put it best when she said that the drivers had nothing to lose; yet they have everything to lose.  By nothing to lose, she meant that the points didn't matter because it was the last race, and many drivers were already eliminated from the championship.  By everything to lose, she meant their lives.

Wheldon accomplished a lot during his short life.   He will be remembered for both his accomplishments and his freak accident.  He won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2005, 2011).  He won 16 total IndyCar races and won the IndyCar Championship in 2005.  The IndyCar Series will definitely miss him.