Teresa Earnhardt testifies at autopsy-photos hearing
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Dale Earnhardt's widow testified yesterday that she has tried to stop the public release of her husband's autopsy photos to spare her family "painful emotional distress."
"The photographs are humiliating, disgusting and negative," Teresa Earnhardt said. "That could be nothing but harmful and painful to anyone involved with my family, my company, our fans, anyone."
A hearing into whether the photos can be made public was expected to continue today. A college newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator, and a Web site based in Deland, Fla., are seeking access to the autopsy photos.
Appearing slightly irritated under questioning from opposing lawyers, Earnhardt said she filed a lawsuit blocking the release of the photos to spare her family from "humiliation and harm."
Lawyers for The Alligator have suggested that NASCAR influenced Earnhardt's decision since the images could raise questions about safety at NASCAR races.
Dale Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
Teresa Earnhardt denied that NASCAR played a role in her decision. She added that her actions had nothing to do with her interest in protecting her company, Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Earnhardt's image as a revenue source.
"I don't think it has anything to do with sales," she said. "I think it has to do with personal feelings and privacy. It would affect our state of minds because we would be personally harmed."
An attorney for The Alligator argued that the images should be made public to show whether investigators did an adequate job of determining what killed the driver.
Volusia Circuit Judge Joseph Will on Monday upheld the constitutionality of a state law forbidding the release of post-mortem photos unless allowed by a judge.
That ruling left The Alligator and Websitecity.com to argue that the law violates Florida's public-records statutes.
Websitecity.com owner Michael Uribe already has posted autopsy photos of drivers Rodney Orr and Neil Bonnett on his Web site.
Relatives of the dead drivers testified yesterday that they were devastated by the posting of the photos on the Web site.
"I can't sleep at night," said Orr's father, Beacher. "I lay down and I see him on the table there naked. That's what I see."
Note
• Negotiations to keep the Detroit Grand Prix alive beyond this weekend are not promising.
Sunday's race on Belle Isle will be the event's 20th edition, and last under a contract between CART and race promoter International Management Group. IMG and CART officials say talks are ongoing, but the event's future looks bleak.