Five days after a scary incident at the NHRA Schuck’s Auto Supply Nationals in Seattle, Wash., Kalitta Motorsports and NHRA are closer to determining what caused driver Hillary Will’s dangerous belt incident. Will’s shoulder harnesses came loose at the finish line forcing her head dangerously forward.

Jim Oberhofer said in a prepared statement that his driver’s safety equipment accidentally caught a latch and released her strap.

“Hillary's chin strap caught the latch of her shoulder strap and it released it,” said Oberhofer. “When she pulled the parachute, the g-force caused her to slip out of the other shoulder strap because she has a very narrow upper body.

“At NO time was there a mistake made by ANY of the team members failing to strap her in. It was a fluke thing and they are addressing the situation to make sure it never happens again.” Five days after a scary incident at the NHRA Schuck’s Auto Supply Nationals in Seattle, Wash., Kalitta Motorsports and NHRA are closer to determining what caused driver Hillary Will’s dangerous belt incident. Will’s shoulder harnesses came loose at the finish line forcing her head dangerously forward.

Jim Oberhofer said in a prepared statement that his driver’s safety equipment accidentally caught a latch and released her strap.

“Hillary's chin strap caught the latch of her shoulder strap and it released it,” said Oberhofer. “When she pulled the parachute, the g-force caused her to slip out of the other shoulder strap because she has a very narrow upper body.

“At NO time was there a mistake made by ANY of the team members failing to strap her in. It was a fluke thing and they are addressing the situation to make sure it never happens again.”

Another theory being bantered around according to a source close to NHRA, who spoke to CompetitionPlus.com on the condition of anonymity, confirmed Will’s equipment snagged the lever on her harness.

The safety latch, the source said, appeared uncovered and as a result exposed the area to such an accidental discharge. Reportedly, a cover is supposed to be put in place and wasn’t. No one can confirm if the cover vibrated loose or wasn’t installed.

The source said this is yet another idea of what caused the incident.

Regardless, we are told, the NHRA will double-check drivers this weekend to ensure a latch cover on the traditional latch and lever systems are in place before they are allowed to make a pass.

CompetitionPlus.com was told that half of the drivers run a harness combination similar to the one Hill employed and the others run cam-locks.

Bob Stroud of Stroud Safety has been in the safety equipment manufacturing business for over twenty years, and he believes the sanctioning bodies should look at making other systems mandatory that provide a great degree of difficulty when it comes to snagging the levers.

He’s a proponent of a rotary cam-lock because you turn a knob one way or the other and as he puts it, “it’s just too difficult to get it snagged.”

“I don’t care how good they are, arm restraints can still snag stuff,” Stroud added.

Stroud is also of the opinion that lever systems should be outlawed on any car that has arm-restraints.

“From time to time the old style latch and lever harnesses still in use by some teams have had their arm restraints snag,” Dennis Taylor of Taylor Motorsports Products confirmed. “The last driver I remember that happening to was Tony Pedregon when he drove for John Force. Force liked the latch and lever and Tony got caught up in it. During a run, Tony reached up for the chutes and they came undone. When the chutes hit, his face ended up between the windshield and the doghouse.

“I remember he had to reach back with his hand on the brake handle and it’s a wonder he didn’t get hurt. I know that has happened to a few people.”