CLICK HERE FOR THE EXCLUSIVE FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEW - THE RACE EVENT BAJA 1000 2016
CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
UPDATED! August 4, 2021 - Dateline Ensenada, Baja Mexico. Gary Newsome, Publisher BajaRacingNews.com
In August, we'll talk again with Holly Luhtalla, drilling down on the event that changed her life and the details of that race event in Baja Mexico, that shocks the most hardened SCORE International supporters. They ask, "what if that happens to me and my family"?
What really happened at the Baja 1000 2016
First Holly Luhtalla Interview - Baja Racing News EXCLUSIVE
"I found him alone dead in a hallway at the hospital", Holly Luhtala
The Incident: The SCORE International Baja 1000, 2016
""I would like to clear up a few facts - I have a lot to say in fact, here goes: My husband, Mark Luhtala did NOT have quick medical treatment, in fact it was hours before his injuries were tended to, approximately 6 hours to get him to the Air Force base in Ensenada and 9 hours to UCSD before he saw his first doctor (6 hours with no pain meds) and his leg was pretty much missing then.
His accident was caused when another racer pulled directly into him thinking his head lights were the other drivers pit stop. The other drivers pit stop was located in the left hand side of the course causing him to cut directly in front of my husband which ended up killing him!
The course design was changed several times within the last several weeks to bilateral traffic. Now ask yourself........ Who in their right minds designs a race course where a head on collision can happen?
Well the answer is Mr. Roger Norman & Score International.
My husband and his chase crew never anticipated what they encountered out there at 4 in the morning. There was zero help with the exception of a BF Goodrich Tire EMT trained for CPR only. He was wide awake buried in the earth while they literally dug his torso out of the ground screaming his head off with 47 broken bones (his entire left side was crushed) all while grown ass men were video taping him and posting videos to YouTube.
Scores insurance has never paid our family a dime, 3 years later, I still fight to this day. I have much more to say. [From November 3, 2019]
Mark LUHTALA was such an amazing [person] [who would] give you the shirt off his back [the] kind(a) [of] man that was out there simply living his dream of off road racing all the while I was there cheering him on.
Our baby was 2 and will never remember her daddy which pretty much breaks my heart. Our older daughter was 12 and was there during the entire ordeal which was worse because she has all the memories of what a great guy he was.
Mark survived for 3 days at UCSD, we were told “no big deal, just broken bones”, then a massive heart attack and that was it! It was Thanksgiving Day and he was gone.
I found him alone dead in a hallway at the hospital another hard blow. It was one trauma after another down there. To make matters worse, not one member of Score International ever called (you) [to] inform me he was even in an accident, I found out live over a race radio from 'Weatherman'.
If you’re planning on racing in Mexico you MUST have your own back up plan as Score had zero resources when it truly mattered and the insurance he purchased wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.""
In 2018 Holly Buck-Luhtalla said/wrote this:
""I have sooooo much to say about this subject. Firstly, the most correct statement is that "no one thinks it will be them"....I lost my husband during last year’s Baja 1000; he too felt the same way. The night before the race at Contingency I asked him "What if something happens to you?" His exact words were, "I'd have to be an idiot and drive off a cliff or slam into a boulder; I'm not a dumb-ass."
NEVER in a million years did WE or ANYONE out there anticipate a head on collision in the middle of the night. It was 4 am, freezing cold, the accident happened in a main pit area with so many people around. Thankfully his navigator and crew were there for immediate assistance, he never would have survived if they were there to attend to his major injuries. OTHER THAN HIS CREW and 2 medics (one was only first aid trained) he would have died.
IT TOOK OVER 6 HOURS for medical attention & pain meds. He was missing most of his left leg and lost a tremendous amount of blood…..his entire left side of his body was crushed, left hand shattered, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, collar bone, pelvis, 4 bones in his back and 2 in his neck. He was in and out of consciousness but remembered absolutely everything the entire time from impact through his death of a massive heart attack in front of me three days later.
Mark
was [an] Ironman for sure, with all that he endured…. The three ladies
he has left behind, not so much….. This past year has been a NIGHTMARE
with so much heart ache that I am shocked I am still here, don’t think I
would be if it weren’t for our 2 girls, Janie now 13 & Eva now.
3.WHAT WENT WRONG – I think it’s so important for everyone to know what went wrong so they can prepare for the worst and know what we went through…..-FIRST AID KITS are great but Mark needed advanced lifesaving tools – his crew made makeshift tourniquets to keep him from bleeding out. EVERY TEAM should be required to have a neck support system, back brace and tourniquets. When the Mexican Ambulance finally showed up hours later they had NO SUPPLIES….
-NO ONE EVER CALLED TO INFORM ME MY HUSBAND WAS INJURED….. I found out live on the Live Weatherman Feed. I was listed as Emergency Contact…. Still pissed about that…..-
THE WAIT TO CLEAR CUSTOMS – When I finally made it to the Airforce Base his helicopter was just landing (it was 8:40 am impact was around 4 am)……..they sat on the ground giving him his first pain meds since impact and spent almost an hour on the ground before moving him into a Jet to head to the states.
They couldn’t find his paperwork (driver’s license, passport) or his blood type. His suit and shoes were bio-hazarded out due to blood saturation and no one knew his blood type.
-ORGAN DONATION – This is something younger people don’t talk about. Immediately upon Marks death my phone started to blow up asking for his organs, blood & tissue to be donate. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING ANYONE should have to be forced to decide while their loved one is being wheeled down the hall still in their sight….. The personal questions that come along with donation are barbaric and horrific (have you had same sex partners, have either of you ever had AIDS, have you recently traveled outside the country, have you been in contact with ZIKA, etc.)….. Even worse, I was sent a permit from the State of California to remove my husband’s eyes for donation 4 days after his death. NOW imagine what goes through your mind then…-BURIAL vs. CREMATION – EVERYONE Racing needs to have their affairs in order prior to racing (Life Insurance, Will, Trusts, Successorships, and Trustees)…. Mark died owning 3 businesses all of which I knew NOTHING about. I sell Real Estate like a rock star but HAVE/HAD NO IDEA about running an Aviation Company, Motorsports Company or Landscape Company. Found out pretty quickly.
No Will, nothing in place, crazy widow/mom now planning on everything from his businesses to my business, to the house, bills, counselors, repairs, vehicles, registrations, licenses needed, etc. THERE’S BEEN NO TIME TO MORN MY SUGNIFICANT LOSS…..-FAST AID vs GO-FUND ME– Fast Aid was great, they helped Marks mom, sister & I arrange for our airplane rides home & took care of our hotel expenses. Fast Aid HAS a CAP of $5,000 per incident. To this day have never seen an accounting of what was donated, who donated, etc.
["FAST-AID IS A SCAM", said by Roger Norman, SCORE]
I wanted to personally thank each member of the racing community that donated to help us ~ THANK YOU SO MUCH. GO FUND ME has NO CAP and the family gets all donated monies except 6%. A WIDOWS ADVICE – If you are going to have the Time of your Life, take care of your business just in case. Kick up some dust and have a blast out there, if Mark were here he sure as hell would be joining you! THE FUTURE – I AM WORKING ON SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT TO HELP KEEP ALL RACERS SAFE. I promise to do my part in honoring the greatest man I’ve ever known. Just after the 1st of the year I will be rolling out Luhtech Safety Technology – more to come……If I can help just ONE of you stay safe, then I’ve done my part. I WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK ALL MEMBERS OF MARK’S RACE CREW – Luhtech Motorsports. I love each of you guys & gals. THANK YOU SO MUCH to the racing community for your love & support.
VIVA LA BAJA ~"" Mama Bear(Holly Buck-Luhtala)
BajaRacingNews.com REFUSES TO STOP REPORTING ON "THE DEATH CULT" - CLICK HERE FOR THE REPORTING
CLICK HERE TO READ THE News8 STORY IN FULL
CLICK HERE FOR HOLLY LUHTALLA FACEBOOK POSTING APRIL 2, 2018 CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE FOR THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
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