A NASCAR pitcrew member was taken to the hospital after his heroic effort saved a Fox Sports race reporter from being crushed by a 4,000 pound cart during a qualifying session in Delaware this week.
Reporter Amanda Busick was walking along the back of pit road when a runaway pit cart started rolling down a hill directly towards her.
With quick thinking, crew member Donovan Williams jumped into action to save Busick from harm.
Williams, a former quarterback-turned-tight end who played college football at UConn, shielded Busick by putting his body between her and the cart – sending them both to the ground.
The crew member, who was working as a tire changer, took most of the impact and was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
‘You see it all happening in slow motion, but super-fast,’ Busick told The Athletic. ‘I could see the cart coming; I could see, who I now know is Donovan Williams, trying to brace the cart, but it just had so much speed. There was no way that he could keep up with it.
Fox Sports racing reporter Amanda Busick was nearly crushed by a heavy pit road cart
But Donovan Wililams, a pit crew member, jumped in to save her while sustaining minor injuries
‘This all happened in probably less than half a second, maybe a second. And Donovan, in his attempt to shield me, we kind of got collected and then would have been pushed, I don’t know, I’d say probably five to 10 feet together with the cart behind him and him on me. That guy saved my life.’
In the hospital, Williams received treatment for a laceration on his right buttock that was deep enough to result in squirting blood that also led to him feeling light-headed, according to The Athletic. He also was treated for severe road rash to his right hand.
Doctors expect Williams to make a full recovery as all X-Rays came back negative and he maintains his ability to walk.
Busick, meanwhile, was evaluated at the onsite care center at Dover Motor Speedway and was diagnosed with a hyperextended knee along with a sore shoulder and some cuts and bruises.
Despite Fox Sports giving her the option to spend the day recovering, Busick insisted on covering the truck race later that day.
Williams recalled the situation to The Athletic, saying, ‘What happened (Friday) was really traumatic. Definitely one of the scariest moments of my life, just because I didn’t know exactly what the outcome was. When I was there after all the chaos kind of settled, I definitely felt some of the worst pain I’d ever felt.’
When asked by the outlet what it was like being called a ‘hero’, Williams replied, ‘Whether it was just a matter of circumstance, I just reacted in the situation, went with it and was hoping for the best.’
He added, ‘I’m just feeling very, very blessed because that was a situation that could have been a lot worse if it had hit me a couple inches in any other direction.’
Busick said that she visited Williams in the hospital where they gave each other a ‘big hug’
Williams, a former UConn football player, was released from the hospital and flown home
Busick told The Athletic that she visited Williams in the hospital where they ‘gave each other a big hug.’
She added, ‘I don’t want to be overly dramatic on things, but I truly don’t know what would have happened to me if Donovan wasn’t in front of that cart.’
Williams works for Hendrick Motorsports. After the incident, the team flew him and his mother – who lives in Northern Virginia and drove to Delaware to visit him in the hospital – back to Williams’ house in North Carolina.
According to the outlet, team owner Rick Hendrick and iconic driver Jeff Gordon were among those who wished Williams well.
Busick, meanwhile, was in the Chicagoland area over the weekend to cover an NHRA race with Fox.
