Bryan Clauson Dies; Race Car Driver Killed in Horrific Crash (VIDEO)

Race car driver Bryan Clauson died Sunday from injuries sustained in a horrible crash the previous night at the Belleville Midget Nationals.

He was just 27 years old.

Just after taking the lead at the event Saturday night, Clauson climbed a guard rail between Turns 3 and 4 and flipped in extreme fashion.

He was then hit by a car driven by Ryan Greth, reports indicate; the race continued after a red flag period and was won by Chad Boat.

Clauson would not recover from injuries sustained in the crash, which can be seen in the video below (and may be upsetting for viewers).

"This is truly one of the darkest days in the 60-year history of the United States Auto Club," USAC CEO Kevin Miller said of the tragedy.

"Not only have we lost one of our greatest USAC champions," Miller added, "but we"ve lost a true ambassador for all of motor sports."

Clauson ran in three Indianapolis 500 races, including a 23rd place finish in May in which he led three laps, and on the NASCAR circuit.

He became best known in the dirt racing world, however, and as a beloved, versatile driver who racked up wins at an impressive pace.

"Bryan"s passion for our sport was unparalleled," Miller said. "He was a leader not only on the track, but in the pits with his fellow competitors."

"There"s a tremendous hole in the hearts of our community today as we grieve his loss along with his family and friends," Miller added. 

He earned two USAC national sprint car championships, two USAC national midget car championships and 170 feature wins in his career.

Specifically, Clauson was a three-time winner of the Belleville Nationals, where he fatefully raced as the defending champion this weekend.

Bryan even endured a major crash on the same track Friday.

“Took a tough hit last night, but the guys have me another hot rod ready for tonight"s Belleville Midget Nationals!” he tweeted on Saturday.

Hours later, he crashed again, and this one proved fatal.

Clauson was planning to marry fiancée Lauren in February.

One of his close friends, NASCAR star Tony Stewart, expressed overwhelming sadness following Sunday"s race at Watkins Glen International.

"It’s a tragedy," Stewart said. "That kid drove for us for a long time and did a great job and never went anywhere, I don’t care what happened."

"No matter how bad his day was, he always found a way to smile with it. Him and Lauren being engaged, kid had such a bright future."

"It’s just … it was hard to start the day today in the car."

"It sucks when it’s anybody in racing. It’s hard when you lose them, but it’s even worse when they’re somebody as close to you as Bryan was."

Stewart continued, shaken up at the loss of his friend:

"I feel for Lauren and Bryan’s parents and his sister, and I hope to see them soon, but just thinking about them more than anything right now."

A statement from Bryan"s family said that Clauson "fought to the end with the same desire that he demonstrated behind the wheel."

More than that, they said, they revere the person he was.

Bryan, they said, always "took a moment to make a fan"s day or demonstrated kindness and appreciation toward his friends, family and fans."

R.I.P.

Abandoned Newborns Offered Refuge In Boxes: Horrific Or Good Idea?

There are two schools of though when it comes to an issue such as thing: Does a certain solution alleviate the problem or perpetuate it?

A new way to protect newborns who have been abandoned by their mothers has launched in the United States.  

“Baby Hatches” which are common in parts of Europe and Asia, are like the idea behind “Baby Safe Haven,” except this one offers women total anonymity while still assuring the baby’s safety. 

The first of its kind in the states is located in Woodburn, Indiana, and funded by the state’s Knights of Columbus.

Each box costs between $ 1500 and $ 2000, and on the outside looks like any other.

Inside, however, is a padded, climate controlled container that will set off an alarm to first responders once the baby is placed inside.  

To add even more security, as soon as the parent “deposits” her child inside the box, it then locks and can’t be opened from the outside.

The idea is to prevent babies being abandoned in unsafe environments, like bathrooms, dumpsters and the like.

The second one in the country was placed in Michigan on May 5th.

Babies Switched at Birth, Reunited With Mothers 3 Weeks Later

Those opposed to the baby hatch idea claim that this will prevent new moms from seeking post-partum medical care or exploring other options, like going directly to a hospital.

Monica Kelsey was herself abandoned as an infant, and has been working to implement baby hatches for the past sixteen years.

This is not criminal,” Kelsey, who volunteers with a crisis hotline for mothers not wanting their babies, said.

“This is legal. We don’t want to push women away.”

It might sound like a startling idea at first, but the more options parents who can’t raise their children, the better.  

Some might liken it to providing drug users with clean needles.  Yes, it could certainly perpetuate the issue, but it also prevents the spread of diseases associated with using dirty needles.

Surrogate Mother Cares For Other Woman’s Twins

Viola Beach Members ALL Killed in Horrific Car Crash

Tragedy has struck the world of music.

All four members of the British band Viola Beach were killed in a car accident on Saturday, according to The Associated Press.

The musicians – Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe and Jack Dakin, all aged between 19 and 32 – were traveling in a rental car near Stockholm, Sweden when they crashed through a barrier set up to prevent vehicles from crossing an opening drawbridge.

The vehicle reportedly fell more than 80 feet into a canal, killing all four group members and manager Craig Tarry.

It was Tarry’s family, via Britain’s Foreign Office, that confirmed this horrible news.

“Craig was a warm, loving person who had worked tirelessly to achieve success and follow his dreams within the music industry,” their statement reads.

The band itself had performed at the Where is the Music? festival on Friday and was traveling back to Guildford, England when the crash took place.

“Our deepest sympathy to the family’s and friends of #ViolaBeach today. So so sad. Our thoughts and prayers are with you,” Tweeted The Script in response to the news.

A spokeswoman for the U.K.’s Foreign Office tells CNN that British officials are “in contact with Swedish authorities and supporting the families at this very difficult time,” while trying to get to the bottom of what happened.

We send our condolences to the loved ones of Viola Beach.

View Slideshow: 24 Musicians Who Died Too Young

Johnny Manziel: Former Girlfriend Recounts Horrific Tale of Abuse in Court Documents

According to court documents released today, a recent altercation between Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel and his former girlfriend Colleen E. Crowley was much more horrifying than initially thought.

Last week, Manziel denied assaulting Crowley and threatening to kill himself in an incident on January 30, during which cops arrived at Manziel’s hotel room after receiving a phone call from a concerned neighbor.

Crowley chose not to press charges, but she did file for an order of protection against Manziel, which required her to describe the events of that night in a sworn affidavit. 

Earlier today, NBC 5 in Dallas posted the contents of the affidavit in their entirety.

In her testimony, Crowley tells of being beaten, restrained and threatened by Manziel over a period of several hours.

The incident began, she says, when she asked Manziel “about things [she] had heard earlier in the week about him being with a girl who had caused [them] problems in the past.”

She says Manziel flew into a rage, threw her on the bed and held her down. It was during this time, Crowley says, that she began to fear for her life.

Still restraining Crowley’s arms, Manziel led her to the lobby of the hotel, where she screamed at a valet, “Please don’t let him take me! I’m scared for my life!”

The valet allegedly replied that he didn’t know what to do, and watched as Manziel “threw” Crowley into the front seat of his car.

Crowley says she attempted to escape from the car, but Manziel caught her and dragged her back to the vehicle by her hair.

He allegedly then struck her so hard on the side of her head that she lost hearing in her left ear for several days.

Manziel announced to Crowley that he intended to drop her off at her car, which was parked at a nearby nightclub, and then kill himself.

When she tried to talk him out of this course of action, Manziel allegedly replied, “Shut up or I’ll kill us both!”

The couple ended up back at Crowley’s residence, where Manziel reportedly smashed Crowley’s phone so that she would be unable to call for help.

She was eventually able to FaceTime with her parents using a computer, and she says she clutched a kitchen knife in order to keep Manziel at bay while she waited for help to arrive.

Crowley’s request for a restraining order was granted, and Dallas police are currently investigating the incident.

Manziel was dropped by his agent last week, and it is expected that the Cleveland Browns will cut ties with the once-promising prospect next month.

Transgender Woman Live Tweets Horrific TSA Experience

Shadi Petosky, a transgender television writer and producer, has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

In a series of Tweets on Monday afternoon, Petosky shared the traumatic endeavor she suffered through when simply trying to get to her gate for a flight.

The experience took place at an Orlando-area airport and we"ll let Petosky take it from here…

1. Wait… what is this?!?

It’s not a weapon, we can assure you, officers.

2. Be a man!

Because the machine cares what gender it checks? Or because the agent chose this moment to take some kind of moral stand?

3. Spreading the word

Petosky says she Tweeted this experience so this hopefully would never happen to another transgender individual.

4. Who cares?!?

Sorry, we’re getting upset here. Is she a danger to her fellow passengers? No? Then LET HER THROUGH!

5. Is this the angriest face you have?

Because it doesn’t do a sufficient job of expressing the proper outrage here.

6. We ask again:

Is the phone a danger to other passengers? No? Just a danger to your reputation? Ah, okay then.

View Slideshow