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Greg Cooper is known as a tough but safe competitor at Nebraska race car tracks.
That's why his racing competitors find it sadly ironic that he would be injured while simply watching a Sept. 4 race at the Nebraska State Fair.
Cooper, 41, of Alvo was taken to BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln in critical condition. He suffered head injuries after falling about 20 feet from the second-floor concessions area at the fair's grandstand.
A hospital spokesman said Tuesday that Cooper remained in critical condition.
Deb Collins, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska State Patrol, said investigators determined that Cooper “jumped up to sit on the top railing and fell backwards, landing on his head on the concrete below.”
Joe McDermott, executive director of the State Fair, said the metal railing did not give way.
“There was no problem with the railing,” McDermott said. “He simply fell backward.”
Collins said the injury has been ruled an accident.
Cooper has raced for several years and is a regular driver at I-80 Speedway near Greenwood.
Donnie Jones, the track's general manager, said Cooper finished tied for seventh in the Pro-Am division for the 2009 season.
Terry Cleveland, a Lincoln driver who also races in the Pro-Am division, said he has always felt safe battling Cooper with their cars on the four-tenths-of-a-mile, banked dirt track.
“You have to fight for every inch with Greg,” Cleveland said. “He and I would be side-by-side, just inches apart, in turn after turn, but I always felt confident that we would come out of it without hitting.”
Cleveland said news about Cooper's accident has spread through the racing community.
“We are all hoping for the best,” Cleveland said. “Greg is a very, very good competitor, a great driver and a great personality.”
Cooper is married and has an 11-year-old daughter.
A benefit fund has been set up at TierOne Bank and deposits may be made at any branch or mailed to: Greg Cooper Benefit Fund, TierOne Bank, P.O. Box 83009, Lincoln NE 68508.
Contact the writer:
444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
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