The accident which claimed the life of Daniel Urrutia happened in the village of Huanchasco, territory of Peru, during the seventh stage of the Vuelta a la América del Sur, from Lima to Tumbes, nearly the Ecudorian border.
The stage was scheduled to start at 05h00 o'clock on Friday, 29 October 1948, but on Thursday evening, news of a civil war broken out in southern regions of Peru after a military coup, caused a change of plan. To get the racers away from the shooting as quickly as possible the racing crews were ushered off sleep-deprived, at 22h00 on Thursday night, from the village of Puente de Piedra, an alternative 22-kilometer longer way to Tumbes, at 10 second intervals, along a coastal road. To cap it all, mist blowing in from the Pacific Ocean meant visibility was reduced in the dark.
Daniel Urrutia was co-driving to Juan Manuel Fangio in the red #1 Chevrolet. Fangio who was charging after a delay, reascended ninth overall and again gave it his all so much that he missed his refueling point at mid-stage, having to retrace his steps.
While approaching a left fast bend at about 140 km/h (87 mi/h), Fangio lost control of the car which went off the road rolling down an embankment. Urrutia who was Fangio’s acompañante since 1947, was flung out through the wingscreen. The race leader Oscar Gálvez, who drove just few meters behind, stopped immediately his car and helped Fangio to get down the wreck. Fangio who sustained neck injuries in the crash, urged him to continue his winning race but Gálvez silenced his friend and looked for Urrutia. He was found badly injured in the surrounding darkness, some way from the destroyed car. Shortly later also Eusebio Marcilla, who was second overall at the moment, stopped his car and came to the rescue. He and fellow competitor Luciano Murro carried both the injuried racers to nearby Hospital Obrero in the small town of Chicope, province of Ascope, several hours after admission, Urrutia passed away. He succumbed from a cervical fracture and basal fractures to the skull.
Born in Mendoza, Daniel Urrutia was Fangio’s fellow-citizen living in Balcarce, province of Buenos Aires. He left behind his wife, who was pregnant and gave birth to a son on 04 December of the same year in Mercedes, Buenos Aires, and his two daughters.
R.I.P
The stage was scheduled to start at 05h00 o'clock on Friday, 29 October 1948, but on Thursday evening, news of a civil war broken out in southern regions of Peru after a military coup, caused a change of plan. To get the racers away from the shooting as quickly as possible the racing crews were ushered off sleep-deprived, at 22h00 on Thursday night, from the village of Puente de Piedra, an alternative 22-kilometer longer way to Tumbes, at 10 second intervals, along a coastal road. To cap it all, mist blowing in from the Pacific Ocean meant visibility was reduced in the dark.
Daniel Urrutia was co-driving to Juan Manuel Fangio in the red #1 Chevrolet. Fangio who was charging after a delay, reascended ninth overall and again gave it his all so much that he missed his refueling point at mid-stage, having to retrace his steps.
While approaching a left fast bend at about 140 km/h (87 mi/h), Fangio lost control of the car which went off the road rolling down an embankment. Urrutia who was Fangio’s acompañante since 1947, was flung out through the wingscreen. The race leader Oscar Gálvez, who drove just few meters behind, stopped immediately his car and helped Fangio to get down the wreck. Fangio who sustained neck injuries in the crash, urged him to continue his winning race but Gálvez silenced his friend and looked for Urrutia. He was found badly injured in the surrounding darkness, some way from the destroyed car. Shortly later also Eusebio Marcilla, who was second overall at the moment, stopped his car and came to the rescue. He and fellow competitor Luciano Murro carried both the injuried racers to nearby Hospital Obrero in the small town of Chicope, province of Ascope, several hours after admission, Urrutia passed away. He succumbed from a cervical fracture and basal fractures to the skull.
Born in Mendoza, Daniel Urrutia was Fangio’s fellow-citizen living in Balcarce, province of Buenos Aires. He left behind his wife, who was pregnant and gave birth to a son on 04 December of the same year in Mercedes, Buenos Aires, and his two daughters.
R.I.P
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Motor