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On the afternoon of February 18, 2001, American stock car racing driver and team owner Dale Earnhardt was involved in a final lap collision in the 2001 Daytona 500, in which he crashed into a retaining wall after making contact with Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader. He was pronounced dead at Halifax Medical Center a short time later; the cause of death was a basilar skull fracture, which was determined to have killed him instantly.
Earnhardt's death was officially pronounced at the nearby Halifax Medical Center at 5:16 p.m. EST. At the time of the crash, he was 49 years old. His funeral was held four days later at the Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Earnhardt was the fourth NASCAR driver killed by a basilar skull fracture during an eight-month span, following Adam Petty in May 2000, Kenny Irwin Jr. in July 2000, and Tony Roper in October 2000. Earnhardt's death, seen on a live television broadcast with more than 17 million viewers, was highly publicized and has resulted in various safety improvements in NASCAR auto racing.
~Source Wikipedia
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