AUTO DRIVER INJURED.

Topics:  Indianapolis 500, John De Palma

The New York Times
May 24, 1915

John De Palma Meets with Painful Accident at Indianapolis.

Special to The New York Times.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 23.—In the most spectacular accident witnessed at the Indianapolis motor speedway John De Palma, brother of Ralph De Palma, today wrecked the Delage car he was nominated to drive in the big 500-mile race next Saturday. While speeding at the rate of 75 miles an hour the machine skidded on the northwest turn of the big oval and crashed through the cement retaining wall which is a foot thick and turned over six times before coming to a stop. Fifteen feet of the wall was torn out, so terrific was the impact, and when the ambulance was hurried to the scene of the accident, both were painfully injured but it was said at the Methodist Hospital tonight both De Palma and Phillips would recover unless unforseen internal injuries developed.

The car wrecked by De Palma was the same machine which won the international event a year ago. There is little possibility that it can be repaired in time for next Saturday's race.

Howard Wilcox in his Stutz negotiated the two and one-half miles course in a new American record for the fast time of 1:31, which figures 98.9 miles per hour. The record was held by Boillot in a French Peugeot, his time being 1:30:13.