Jeep driver still hospitalized after Scheid Diesel incident

There can be no doubt the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza held at Wagler Motorsports Park in Lyons the weekend of August 23-24 was an exciting event.

The 28th annual gathering of gearheads and enthusiasts draws thousands, there for the truck and tractor pulls, drag races, show & shine competition, kiddie pedal pull and the many vendor booths located off-track.

On August 23, an accident occurred in which a pit vehicle, a 2007 Jeep Wrangler driven by 55-year-old Jolanda Hargett of Tennessee, malfunctioned, its throttle stuck open and the horrified driver unable to keep control of the vehicle. The Jeep veered into the crowd as Hargett struggled for control.

“What she tried her best to do was steer away from the crowd, and in doing so hit parked vehicles which let the jeep roll on it side injuring her as well,” said a source close to Hargett, in a telephone interview from the side of Hargett’s hospital bed.

The Jeep struck three pedestrians, a side-by-side, a track rake and another vehicle before coming to rest on its side with Hargett inside.

Hargett and the injured pedestrians, Marlin Zimmerman, 31, of Pennsylvania, Jared Weaver, 33, of Ohio and Joey Rank, 30, of Tennessee, were taken by ambulance and AirEvac helicopter to area hospitals in critical condition.

Weaver and Rank were treated and released from the hospital within 24 hours and Zimmerman was released August 26.

Only Hargett remains hospitalized, her condition listed as stable.

The source offered more details.

“She was terrified,” the source disclosed. “She had no way to fix the vehicle’s malfunction and split-seconds to decide what to do.

“She was brought in with a broken back, broken neck, a broken clavicle, broken shoulder blade, five cracked ribs, a dislocated right hip and three torn ligaments in her leg,” the source said.

“The people at these events are like a family,” the source added. “It was terrifying for her and for everyone involved. We are all so thankful that most people’s injuries were not worse.”

Hargett has a rough road ahead, literally and figuratively, as she heals, with a knee surgery, many weeks of rehab and learning to walk again scheduled ahead of her.