An impact at such a high speed would have resulted in the fatal basilar skull fracture, as well. A basilar skull fracture is any fracture of the skull that originates in or propagates to the base of the skull. There are several types of these fractures; Earnhardt had what is commonly known as a "ring fracture."
A ring fracture forms a ring around the foramen magnum (the "great hole" in Latin). They are rare and usually fatal. They can arise from several different impacting mechanisms of injury affecting the chin, jaw and face; the head, anteriorly, posteriorly or laterally; an area near the top of head; or inertial head loading.
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