ANDERSON CO., SC – Two fans were injured at the Anderson Motor Speedway Saturday night when a car part flew into the stands during a race.
Representatives from the track say they believe a muffler detached and flew into a fan area, striking the two people.
One person was hit in the face, another in the leg. Both were taken to the hospital but have since been released.
Monday we talked to one of the injured men, Jared Griffith, who says he’s in pain but he’s glad to be alive to tell the story. He believes if he wasn’t looking down at his phone that night, he might not be here today.
“I was reading a story to my buddy about the Olympics and I just all of a sudden heard like a loud pop and a white flash and the only thing I remember was looking up at all of my buddies and they were all freaked out,” he remembered.
He says the muffler came through a fence meant to protect them.
“I couldn’t scream. I just kind of moaned. But I didn’t know what exactly happened,” he said. “I thought I got shot because nobody else heard the loud noise.”
Jared is facing weeks of recovery and possibly surgery. He has several stitches on his lip, missing teeth and shattered bone in his mouth.
“it could have been a lot worst. I’m just glad I am still here,” he explained.
Officials say they are investigating the incident.
