Contractor dies after suffering 'injury' on NASCAR Street Race route
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A contractor suffered an injury and died Friday morning along the route for the Chicago NASCAR Street Race this weekend.
Police said at 11:28 a.m., a 53-year-old man suffered an injury in the 500 block of South Columbus Drive, near Buckingham Fountain and the stands for the race, and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he died.
NASCAR released this statement: "On Friday afternoon, a contractor suffered a fatal medical emergency. We are coordinating with local authorities on this tragic incident. We share our condolences to the family and their loved ones."
The man was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office as Duane Tabinski.
According to the website for the company, Tabinski was the founder of DUANE, a design, staging, and lighting firm. The company has also staged events for some of the biggest names in music – including Bob Dylan, Toby Keith, and Katy Perry – and many large and small corporate events, according to the company website.
"We're driving to Chicago right now. When we heard it happened, four of us at the office – we hopped in Matt's car and we're headed to Chicago," said Ken Sorrell, a coworker of Tabinski's. "Don't know what we're going to do there, but we're going up just to be there for the crew, and like I said, just to make this event happen and to make Duane proud."
Neither police nor NASCAR specified the nature of the worker's injury or medical emergency.
NASCAR also did not say if or how the man's death would impact the race setup Friday.
The NASCAR Street Race in Grant Park will be held Saturday and Sunday.