Hydroplane Driver Called Near Death

Paul Smith, 42, of West Bloomfield Township, Mich., was said to be near death Saturday night after his hydroplane crashed during during a hydroplane race off Belle Isle near Detroit.

Smith went into cardiac arrest and his spinal cord was severed in the accident, a spokeswoman for Detroit Receiving Hospital said. Smith was listed in very critical condition, she said.

Craig Magnatta, medical director of the race, said shortly after the accident that Smith had been killed. Madej, contacted Saturday night at his home, said that information came from Smith’s relatives.

Smith was driving the Hydrophobia when it broke apart during the American Power Boat Assn. Silver Cup race. Officials estimated the boat was traveling at nearly 125 m.p.h. at the time.

“The boat flipped and it looked like it disintegrated on impact, and he was trapped underneath the water with his boat,” said Joe Busto, an emergency medical technician and one of the first to reach Smith.

Smith was trapped in the cockpit for several minutes before rescuers pulled him from the wreckage in the Detroit River.

“His helmet was off and he had been under water for four minutes. He was under full cardiac arrest when they reached him,” Magnatta said.