Q: Grandma was there,she she said the truth is he was decapitated..is that true?
A: There is a book you can buy at Barnes & Noble regarding safety crews. It's written by a Safety Crew lead physician. I wish I knew the name of the book & author, as I could recommend it to you. This physician was one of the first on scene at the 1982 fatal accident. According to his retelling of the story, Gordon Smiley was not decapitated by the accident. Rather, the impact tore Gordon's helmet off, and he was more-or-less, scalped by the impact. He had a significant section of his skull missing and was not found. An unfortunate accident to a talented driver. Unfortunately, there was nothing the safety crews could do to assist. These are the risks even today's drivers take when racing. If I can find the name of the book/author, I'll edit my answer her, if you'd like to read the book.