The accident which resulted in the death of Joe Cooper was a most peculiar one. The Sebring car which he was driving was bunched in the leading group when a defective tire began to fray on about the thrity-fifth lap. Whether or not the inmates of the car knew it was going bad, is not known but just at the close of the thirty-eighth lap, the right rear tire blew out. Cooper was about halfway to the top of the saucer coming into the stretch in front of the grandstand at the time. Those in the press stand had their eyes on the car. They saw Cooper working his steering wheel in an effort to bring the heavy machine under control. The car wobbled and it seemed that it would be brought to safety at the bottom of the saucer when it suddenly turned, climbed the track, crashed thru the iron and wooden railing and plunged over the edge. As the machine fell it turned completely over and landed right side up. Pieo, the mechanician, was thrown clear of the car. Cooper fell about half way out and was caught beneath the edge of the machine.
Chandler's accident occurred across the track from the grandstand. The car was hugging the inside of the saucer at the end of the south curve. A tire flew off and and the car swerved into the dirt at the edge of the track. Chandler made desperate efforts to straighten it but the machine suddenly turned completely over when the right rear wheel gave way. Both driver and mechanician were thrown for many feet. Their terrible impact with the earth due to the speed the car was going caused the injuries which resulted in Kieler's death.