KEY POINTS:
Distraught sprintcar driver Kevin Freeman is struggling to deal with the death of the teenage spectator at Blenheim's Eastern States Speedway on Saturday night.
Charlie Higgins, 13, died when Freeman's car somersaulted the safety fence at the Renwick track, pinning the boy under the wrecked vehicle.
Freeman, heavily concussed, said yesterday the crash had shaken him badly.
"Physically I am fine, just a splitting headache, but the mental side of this is awfully hard," he said. "I have dealt with death before ... but this crash is very personal.
"I understand that it is not about blame and Charlie's mother has made that clear. It's a racing accident and nothing anyone could have done would have changed the outcome, but I am struggling mentally.
"Dealing with it is going to take some time."
He told the Nelson Mail he had no recollection of anything other than arriving at the track and doing warm-up laps.
"All I know about the actual crash is what I have been told by others.
"I've been back to the track and seen the police markings and the divots and the car has cartwheeled 50m or 60m with each bounce getting higher.
"The last bounce carried the car over the fence and into the area where Charlie was watching with his mother.
"At the speeds involved, it all happened in less than two seconds, I guess. There's no element of control."
Freeman has been involved in speedway in Nelson and Christchurch since 1989.
Nelson speedway photographer George Gibbs, who saw the crash, said accidents were uncommon.
"People want to see the thrills and spills, but it's the first time I've seen a car get high enough to go over the fence."
Eastern States Speedway president Tim Alexander said the victim was a "true speedway fanatic".
Speedway New Zealand has opened an investigation into its safety procedures.
Until SNZ finished its investigations the company could not comment on any issue directly involving the accident.
- NZPA
