Hinchcliffe entered the third turn of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway at speed before his Honda shot up the track and slammed into the SAFER Barrier in the third turn. The car did not go airborne, unlike three of the crashes earlier in the month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where the Chevrolets driven by Helio Castroneves, Josef Newgarden and Ed Carpenter all came off the ground.
He was extricated from his car by the Holmatro Safety Crew and transported to Methodist Hospital in downtown Indianapolis where he was diagnosed with an left upper-thigh injury which required immediate surgery.
No replacements have been mentioned to take over his ride in Sunday's Indy 500 but Tristan Vautier, who qualified for James Davison's Honda 21st on the grid because that driver had previous commitments that kept him from qualifying, is a logical replacement. He previously drove for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2013. Vautier, however, is scheduled to race in Europe this weekend so won't be available.
Hinchcliffe was set to start on the outside of Row 8 in Sunday’s Indy 500.
Hinchcliffe previously suffered a concussion at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 2014 Grand Prix of Indianapolis that kept him out of the first week of practice for the 2014 Indianapolis 500. He recovered in time to qualify for the front row of last year’s Indy 500.
According to Honda Performance Development (HPD) officials it was a suspension piece that failed. The right front pushrod failed as he was turning into the corner. He lost steering and hit the wall at a 45-degree angle at 230 miles per hour. The car did not get in the air but briefly turned on its side. It never left the ground – not unlike some of the crashes before the introduction of the Aero Kit.
IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe is lucky to be alive, based on horrific details that have emerged about his wreck Monday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
RACER magazine reported Tuesday that Hinchcliffe was impaled by a piece of the car's suspension, which had to be cut from the chassis by IndyCar's Holmatro safety team to get the driver out of the vehicle.
MORE: Castroneves goes airborne | Another high-speed wreck at Indy 500 practice
The magazine cites an associate of Hinchcliffe's and confirmed via multiple sources that a steel "wishbone" entered the driver's compartment after the Honda's right side slammed into the wall during a practice run. The piece of metal then reportedly entered and exited the 28-year-old Canadian's right leg and entered his left thigh before stopping in his pelvic region.
Hinchcliffe suffered "massive" blood loss due to his injuries but was stabilized by medical workers at the track and in the ambulance before arriving at Methodist Hospital.
Video shows the crash, but not any of the injuries described above.
PHOTOS: Crazy Indy 500 crashes
IndyCar has said only that Hinchcliffe underwent surgery on high upper left thigh and was in stable condition in intensive care Monday night.
Numerous drivers reportedly went to the hospital Monday to visit the driver, who likely is done with competition for the rest of the year, according to RACER.