Eric Medlen Injury Update and Information
Written by David Lamm · March 20, 2007
NHRA Funny Car driver Eric Medlen was injured in a testing accident Monday at Gainesville Raceway. It has been reported on numerous racing and news outlets of this incident and the latest update is that Medlen remained in critical condition today in intensive care at Shands at the University of Florida medical center.
According to Medlen’s father, John, doctors are continuing to work to reduce pressure and swelling from what has been characterized as a severe closed head injury suffered when the 33-year-old’s car crashed heavily into the guardwall.
“We would ask everyone to keep Eric and his family in their prayers while at the same time respecting their need for privacy in this very difficult time,” said Kelly Antonelli, a spokesperson for John Force Racing, Inc.
“Obviously, our primary concern is for Eric’s health,” Antonelli said, “but we also are aware of erroneous information that has been posted on various internet sites and, unfortunately, that has been a source of additional pain for the family.
“To address that issue, we will continue to provide daily medical updates authorized by the family and the medical staff here at Shands.”
The story originally broke on Monday after the accident occured. The original news was reported by Fast News Network courtesy of John Force Racing Public Relations representative, Dave Densmore and published on dragracecentral.com.
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103 Responses to “Eric Medlen Injury Update and Information”
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Thanks David; keep us posted.
Oh, this is terrible. When you see Hillary Will or Cory Mac walk away from big crashes, you start to feel complacent about the dangers inherent in the sport. Shands is an excellent facility and I’m sure he’s getting the best possible care.
This is just awful news. Please everyone pray for Eric and his family and all at JFR. Scott Cook in Albany, NY
My thoughts and prayers are with Eric, his family and John Froce Racing. This is such a terrible thing. I had the privledge of meeting Eric at a charity event and he is a fine young man and a credit to our sport. I hope the hand of God will help get him through this and return him to us. God bless you Eric
Eric in our prayers and thoughts and in Gods hands. we are sure he will be taken care of as needed. Eric takes after his Dad and has a strong, strong will. Hold in there John. we’re with you all the way in our thoughts and prayers.
Eric in our prayers and thoughts and in Gods hands. we are sure he will be taken care of as needed. Eric takes after his Dad and has a strong, strong will. Hold in there John. we’re with you all the way in our thoughts and prayers.
Eric in our prayers and thoughts and in Gods hands. we are sure he will be taken care of as needed. Eric takes after his Dad and has a strong, strong will. Hold in there John. we’re with you all the way in our thoughts and prayers.
we are praying for eric and his family as well as the JFR racing family,God be with all of you
I am a relative of John Force, and when I heard about this this morning it absolutely crushed me. Eric is a fine young man, and a great competitor, and our family knows he will fight, and win this battle, our prayers are with the Medlin family, and JFR.
It is also things like this can happen anywhere and at anytime. I pray for Eric, all his family and everyone at JFR.
That could have been Ashley, She has kissed the wall once and crossed the line at the race before this one.
Take care!!!
may the good Lord be with you eric
I just heard this sad news. Eric - you, your family, and the entire Force team are in our thoughts and prayers.
Thoughts and prayers to Eric, his family and the Entire JFR family. Its true this is a family sport and when you hear something like this, it hurts. God will guide you through this.
Eric out thoughts and prayers are with you and all the racing community.
god and prayers will see you and your family through this though time
may god bless you and hold you in the palm of his hands. get well soon the nitro smell is waiting for you and your hot rod god bless
Gary and Chris O’neil
die hard JFR fans
Our prayers go out to John Medlen, the Medlen family and everyone at John Force Racing. The drag racing community will keep you in our thoughts daily.
Get well soon!!
You, your family and friends are in our prayers for a speedy recovery.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Medlen family and JFR.God will take care of you for a speedy recovery.
My whole family is sending you all the prayers we have for your family and crew
Best wishes to Eric. Our thoughts are with him, his family and the team.
eric i hope u feel better and will be able to race again!
My friends and family all have The extended Force Family in our prayers. Our prayers and best wishes are with you all.
Thank you for Posting this information. My prayers are with the whole family.
gods will and the strength of the entire racing crews prayers go with you in a speedy recovery.B&R RACING IN RED BLUFF CA.
My thoughts and prayers go out for Eric, his family and the John Force Racing family. Two years ago I was unable to attend an event in MI. My husband spoke w/ him afterward,he told him how much of a fan I’am, but was not feeling well.The next thing you know my phone rings at 12:00 at night and it was Eric calling to tell me he hoped that I got better soon. I could hardly speak, Eric took the time to call me and did not even know me. He is a wonderful person and I pray with all my heart for a full recovery for you. God bless you Eric.
Kelly Z.
eric,john, and family,Gods hand is upon you in this trying time.Let his power help Eric to a speedy recovery and comfort his family get through this terrible tragedy. GOD SPEED TO ALL OF YOU
This is so sad. Eric is such a cute, funny kid, and reminds us of Force, the way he talks and smiles… We will definitely be keeping he and his family in our prayers…
To the entire JFR team…our hearts were broken when we heard the news. May the love of family and friends help you through this most difficult time. Eric is in our prayers, and will continue to be, as he endures this most tragic event. May God bless the Medlen family.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Eric and his family and JFR during this trying time. I know that God will take care of Eric. He will be behind the wheel of that AAA Funny Car before we know it!!!!
Eric, You are in our hearts and prayers, as are your entire family, friends and the Force Racing Teams. You are strong and will win this battle. Looking forward to seeing you back at the track. God Bless.
my wife and i just got home from gainesville on monday when i read the news about eric,we had just spoke to him late sunday before we left the track,our thoughts and many prayers go out to the entire medlen family and all the force family as well my GOD bless eric and keep him well and healthy soon….frank&janine holiday florida
my wife and i just got home from gainesville on monday when i read the news about eric,we had just spoke to him late sunday before we left the track,our thoughts and many prayers go out to the entire medlen family and all the force family as well my GOD bless eric and keep him well and healthy soon….frank&janine holiday florida
my wife and i just got home from gainesville on monday when i read the news about eric,we had just spoke to him late sunday before we left the track,our thoughts and many prayers go out to the entire medlen family and all the force family as well my GOD bless eric and keep him well and healthy soon….frank&janine holiday florida
Our prayers go out to John Medlen, the Medlen family and everyone at John Force Racing we will be praying for you a wish you the best we are from Oakdale and have followed your son and hope to see him pull through this God Bless
Our thoughts and prays are with Eric and all of his family and racing family. May God be with all of you.GOD SPEED!!!He will take care of all of you.We are from Modesto and follow Eric.
Our thoughts and prays are with Eric and all of his family and racing family. May God be with all of you.GOD SPEED!!!He will take care of all of you.We are from Modesto and follow Eric.
Our thoughts and prays are with Eric and all of his family and racing family. May God be with all of you.GOD SPEED!!!He will take care of all of you.We are from Modesto and follow Eric.
God bless Eric and his family and all his racing family. I know all you NHRA racers are one big family and pray God is with all of you. God Speed.We are from Modesto and follow all the races and I know God will hold him and take care of him.God bless to all.
God bless Eric and his family and all his racing family. I know all you NHRA racers are one big family and pray God is with all of you. God Speed.We are from Modesto and follow all the races and I know God will hold him and take care of him.God bless to all.
God bless Eric and his family and all his racing family. I know all you NHRA racers are one big family and pray God is with all of you. God Speed.We are from Modesto and follow all the races and I know God will hold him and take care of him.God bless to all.
Wow, I just heard about Eric’s accident and we know GOD will help him get threw this cause he is a great man and great racer. We met him for the first time in Brainerd last year and he was quite a gentleman, taking time to have is picture taken with my daughters and myself. And then in Reading he autographed these pictures that we got blown up and laminated and are hanging on our living room wall, OUR PRAYS go out to him and his family and crew mates…
Our Prayers are with Eric and his Family.
From a childhood friend who grew up with Eric and his sister two doors down, he’s been through a lot of crazy stuff, like the time we rode a canoe off the roof of this dad’s house into their swimimg pool! He’s tough and will pull through. My prayers go out to Eric, John, Mimi, and Erin…….Kenny
I SAW ERIC WHEN WE WERE IN GAINESVILLE AND I WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THIS YOUNG MAN. HE CROSSED THE BARRIER WALL AND SIGNED AUTOGRAPHS AND SHOOK HANDS ON THE GENERAL ADMISSION SIDE. I HAVE ALOT OF RESPECT FOR THIS YOUNG MAN AND HE AND HIS FAMILY ARE IN OUR PRAYERS. MAY GOD HEAL HIM!
Our prayers are with you Eric and your family. God bless you all.
We have been following Eric’s progress all week and our prayers go out to his family and JFR. Eric is a fine young man with many races yet to run. God is with him in this most important of all races, and will see Eric through. We hope to see him in Houston 3/30
We have been following Eric’s progress all week and our prayers go out to his family and JFR. Eric is a fine young man with many races yet to run. God is with him in this most important of all races, and will see Eric through. We hope to see him in Houston 3/30
We have been following Eric’s progress all week and our prayers go out to his family and JFR. Eric is a fine young man with many races yet to run. God is with him in this most important of all races, and will see Eric through. We hope to see him in Houston 3/30
To the Medlen Family and everyone at JFR. May God be with all of you at this time. Eric seems like a great guy from a wonderful family. We need him back Jesus, he truely is a major part of the “Next Generation”. Keep fighting cowboy, I know how strong you are!John (Mr. Medlen) chin up, be strong for your familyand your biggest fan, who is Eric. St. Rita of Cascia, I call on you to be with Mr. Eric Medlen throughout this process of healing. You indeed are the Patron Saint of Tough Circumstances.
Hail Mary, full of gracethe lord is with thee, blessed our thoughts among women and blessed is the fruit I thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and until the hour of our death.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for Eric.
To Eric and Family: There is much power in prayer. You are in our prayers and we know that God will watch over all of you and provide for all yours needs. We pray that he makes a full recovery and gives all the family the strengh to get through this. Love, Vicki, Gary and Jacob
My husband, Mike & I took our 4 year old son Jonathan to G’ville for the 3rd year in a row and we stopped & got an autograph & picture with Eric & he was the nicest & most genuine man. He took the time to talk to my son about the races & made sure he was having a good time. Our prayers are with Eric & his family and each and everyone of the NHRA racing family. May God be with you all in this time of need.Mike & Amanda DaRoza High Springs, FL
i hope you get well.so we can still see you race for years to come. get
It was just announced on the Sirius speedway program that Eric Medlen passed away today from injuries sustained in his testing accident on Monday. God Speed to you Eric.
this sucks. I hope the the N.H.R.A. takes another look the safty. i’m sure it’s pretty good but look at it now. more safety is needed. 330 mph to dead stop. nhra, nascar, indy and all the others need to talk to one another about ideas all ideas can help one another.
I was on a John Force Cruise at the beggining of this year . I have a pic of my daughter and Eric. I will always remember that pic of Eric and the cruise.My prayers goes out to Erics Dad and family.May God be with Eric in this time and with his family as well . Also to John Force Racing , prayers as well .
Mark Masangya , Santa Maria,Ca.(A loyal JF race fan)
To JFR Team an John Medlen. Ihave a autograph hat with Eric,Robert,Gary Densham,and John Force still brand new with the tag on it. Y’ALL MEAN SO MUCH TO ME. So I want to donate something that means so much to me that I know that it mean so much to you. The hat will go to JOHN Force and John Medlen in memory of Eric who I WILL DEEPLY MISSED. Please reply by e-mail
i loved eric!!! my uncle works on jeff arend’s dont believe me look under del && jeff offical site find larry lush!!! eric && him were friends && when my dad told i started ballin && 3 &&a half hours later still crying. i cant help myself he was my favorite. even though he will stay in my heart forever, i will think of this day as the worst day ever even though before my parent told me, i went to a fabulous play!!!
To John and Mimi
Your loss is our loss and the world’s loss of such a fine young man. I am so proud to have known Eric for he was a special person. I cannot put into words what I and my family are feeling right now. Our Prayers are with you and may Eric rest in peace.
Ray and Louise
Our prayers go out to John Medlen, the Medlen family and everyone at John Force Racing we will be praying for you and wish you the best God Bless
To John and Mimi, I would like to extend my condolences to the both of you I had a lost myself only two months ago but not like yours ,Eric was a credit to the racing community,he was and willbe a winner inour hearts forever.
I’m so sorry to hear that Eric passed. My prayers are with the Medlin family and JFR.
Eric really seemed to love driving Funny Cars.
His smile and personality will truly be missed!!
My thoughts and prayers are with the Medlen family. God Bless
We are fans of JFR and know the team Family and Friends are suffering from this terrible occurence, and just wish to extend our sincere condolences to all concerned.
We are fans of JFR and know the team Family and Friends are suffering from this terrible occurence, and just wish to extend our sincere condolences to all concerned.
We are fans of JFR and know the team Family and Friends are suffering from this terrible occurence, and just wish to extend our sincere condolences to all concerned.
My families prayers are with Eric’s family amd the JF family. I am so thankful to of met you a few times. What a wonderful smile and outlook on life you shared with me. Thank you Eric. You will be missed and always remebered as one of the good guy’s. xoxox
eric medlen was a great driver and person you could tell he was happy we are all going to miss him very much he will always be remembered
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Eric. My condolences go out to the Medlen and Force family’s and the whole NHRA racing family, that all loved Eric. I live very close to the JFR facility and use to see Eric at the gym ocassionally he will truly be missed.
My heart sunk when I opened the paper today and saw the story. I am so sorry. My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the Medlen Family and the JFR family. Eric will be greatly missed.
I was so sorry to hear that Eric had succumed to his injuries. my thoughts and prayers are with the Medlen Family and John force Racing. Eric was a standout driver and person and will be greatly missed.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Medlen Family and JFR. The racing community has lost a great human being.
God, please give us strength during this most difficult time.
This is a tragic loss to not only the Medlen family and the Force family but to the racing industry as well. He will be greatly missed. To his family, you are in our prayers and in our hearts. May God Bless you and guide you throu this time of need.
To the Medlen family: May the sorrow in your hearts lessen with every e-mail sent your way. As you can see, Eric had an impact on thousands of lives, and his legacy will live on in each and everyone of those hearts. Also, to JFR, we know the pain you feel…just remember, that Eric loved what he was doing and was proud to be a member of the “family”. May God Bless you all.
he died :(
We are so sorry to hear the tragic news.We would like to extend our thoughts & prayers to everyone at JFR & to Erics family!My family & I were honored to meet & spend some time with Eric last year at the nationals in seattle.He was a awsome person a fantastic racer & a super roll modle for kids!It was a day we will never forget.God bless you Eric rest in peace
No! I was at the L.A. autoshow and Robert, John and eric were there and i took pictures with them and I even talked to Eric about sports and what I was doing. He was a really cool guy . RIP Eric, and god bless
It seems unreal that someone that I just met and talked to a little while ago is already gone? how can that happen, I’m heart broken
PEACE….
this is what i found on eric medlen oh by the way its devin
this is what i found on eric medlen oh by the way its devin
this is what i found on eric medlen oh by the way its devin
Oh No! sorry to hear about the loss. Eric was one of my favorite drivers. We will keep the Medlen family in our prayers. JFR will still be ok because Ashley I think will pick up where he left off. Once again Sorry!!!!!!!!!.
I’m so sorry for the loss of Eric Medlen. I cannot stop thinking about it. It’s such a tragedy. His adorable smile and personality and kindness will be missed.
Eric Medlen always had a smile on his face. He was so friendly. He was very kind to me. Richmond was the first race I went to, and he was such a super nice guy! I’ll never forget him.
Such a sad day for all! Words can’t even explain how I am feeling.My prayers are with the family and everyone who loved him. He will be greatly missed but never forgotten. GOD’S SPEED!!!!
to bad the smart ass was killed..no one deserves to go that way.
God Bless the Medlen and Force families. And prayers out the entire NHRA organiztion, for such a ’sudden’ and ’sad’ loss.
May Eric, Rest-In-Peace.
God SPEED!!!
God Bless the Medlen and Force families. And prayers out the entire NHRA organiztion, for such a ’sudden’ and ’sad’ loss.
May Eric, Rest-In-Peace.
God SPEED!!!
God Bless the Medlen and Force families. And prayers out the entire NHRA organiztion, for such a ’sudden’ and ’sad’ loss.
May Eric, Rest-In-Peace.
God SPEED!!!
I am so sorry to hear about Eric. I was watching “Driving Force” when at the end of the show I learned of this. I AM TRUELY CRUSHED. I really liked Eric, He reminded me of a son John didnt have. John, pleae remember, God has the plan and we merely participate. We cant change Gods Plan. YOu guys at JFR… Keep going… Eric would want you to…. GOD BLESS TO YOU ALL…. Sincerely
Our thoughts are with eric’s familly both at home and the track!!! This is from maine you wont be forgotten eric you were great in my book!!!
a meeting was held quite far from Earth, It’s time for another birth…said the angels to the LORD above. There is definitely reason he was put in your life when he was and also taken out when he was. He was your little angel forever… our prayers are with family and friends …always, Marlena Marrero& Robert Banks
My deepest condolences.
My heart goes out to the Medlen Family and JFR!! I had the extreme pleasure of hanging out with Eric and the whole John Force Racing team last year in Denver at the Mopar Nationals! Eric was an awesome human being with a great heart and a wonderful smile…I will never forget the time he spent with us. May you rest in peace Eric.
Heartfelt condolences to all of Eric’s family, friends, and race colleagues. The man always looked happy whenever we saw him on the race reviews here in the UK, and in March this year we made the trip to Gainesville for the Gatornationals where I saw Eric in person, though he was busy working in his pits. It’s always sad when we lose someone, even though I never actually met the man I still feel the loss as I’ve seen him race (TV and live) so often. Every respect due, I hope no-one forgets the smiling face of Eric for a very long time.
This has broken my heart, I am so sorry for our loss. RIP Eric, You will be missed.
i just found out about eric’s passing. the time’s i have seen him there was such an energy about him that it seemed, one could not slow him down, and that there was a presence inside him that made him a pleasure to be around,this is a loss to many people, my heart goes out to all of you
My gratitude to John and Mimi for bringing such a fine young man into this world. He was a true sportsman and he will be sorely missed. I loved watching his comments and reactions after a race; such a vibrant and charismatic person. A huge hole has been left in NHRA. God speed Eric.
from all the street rodders in this great sport god be with you and your family eric. You will be missed in this sport. jeff da wrench.
Eric - I only knew you from afar on TV - on Sunday Race Day. I was drawn to the Force team because they raced Fords as I did back in 1966 - 1970. I watched your runs with fingers, arms and legs crossed. There always was this ’something’ about you.
My sincere condolences to the family and the team and all of drag racing.
‘GOOD GRIEF’ 65 Ford Super Stock Southern California
We just found out about about Erics passing. our heart and prayers go out to all. Wayne & Betty
We just found out about about Erics passing. our heart and prayers go out to all. Wayne & Betty
We just found out about about Erics passing. our heart and prayers go out to all. Wayne & Betty