Before James Crown, a member of the family that owns Aspen Skiing Co., crashed his car at a Woody Creek racetrack, the brakes locked up, the car skidded into a curve and smashed into a barricade of tires covering a concrete barrier, a racetrack employee told investigators.
Crown, 70, died at the Aspen Motorsports Park on June 25. He was celebrating his birthday with members of his family at the track, according to a report released by the Pitkin County Sheriff’s department this week.
The Aspen Times first reported on the release of the record.
Crown likely died from blunt force trauma, chief deputy coroner Audra Keith said in a news release the day of the crash. The coroner’s office said Friday that the investigation is ongoing.
Crown, a Chicago billionaire businessman, was a part-time resident of Pitkin County. He was CEO of Henry Crown and Co., which owns the Aspen Skiing Co. He was a longtime board member for JPMorgan Chase and directed the board of General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company.
Under President Barack Obama, Crown served as a member of the president’s intelligence advisory board. He also was chairman of the Aspen Institute, which hosts an ideas festival each summer.
The day of the crash, Crown was driving a Spec Racer with Toyota MR-2 engine rated at 165 horsepower, according to Matthew Kennedy, a racetrack employee and driving instructor interviewed by investigators. He told sheriff’s investigators that Crown, who had driven at the track before, was by himself and racing against the clock when the crash occurred.
Crown locked up the car’s brakes on the last straightaway, skidded into the curve, ran through a gravel bed and hit the barricade of tires, dislodging the concrete barrier underneath, Kennedy said. He told investigators that he jumped into a truck, drove to the car and removed Crown’s helmet when he got there. Crown was bleeding from the head and neck, Kennedy said.
Crown’s son-in-law, Matthew McKinney, told investigators that he drove the car Crown was in earlier in the day and that it handled normally, although the brakes were stiff and had to be pressed firmly.
After getting a call about the crash, Sheriff Sgt. Dustin Gray of the sheriff’s department arrived at 2:31 p.m. He said the race car was about 15 feet from the concrete barrier and was extensively damaged in the front. Four people, including two of Crown’s daughters, were at the car, trying to help, Gray said.
Medics responded and they and sheriff’s personnel took turns trying to resuscitate Crown, Gray said. After a while, and after consulting with an emergency-room doctor, the medics pronounced Crown dead.
People with Crown said he had been driving laps earlier in the day, was in good spirits and appeared well. McKinney said there were no issues with the car’s steering, handling or brakes when he drove it earlier that day.
However, McKinney mentioned that the brakes were stiff. He said the racetrack staff told him the car had just gotten new brakes.
Aspen Motorsports Park didn’t return a request for comment.
Before he crashed, Crown was “driving very fast down the back straightaway,” according to the report. A sheriff’s spokesman said Friday that information about the speed wasn’t available.
