David Earl Savage Jr (1946 - 1973)

Born 21 Aug 1946 in San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California, United States

Ancestors

Died 26 Jul 1973 at age 26 in Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, United States

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Biography

David Savage Jr is Notable.

Son of David Earl Savage, Sr. and Joetta Taylor

Husband of (living wife) - father of 3 children.

"Swede" Savage was a young, up and coming race car driver who had begun driving in the Indy car circuits in 1970. He had previously competed in the USRRC series, the Can-Am series, and NASCAR.

Swede had a horrific accident on 30 May 1973 at the Indianapolis 500. On lap 58, he spun out on the track and made full head-on contact with the inside wall. What may have caused this may have been a wet or oily spot on the track or possibly a torn wing from the rear of the car. In either case, he had just fully refueled, and the highly flammable gas ignited in a huge 60 foot fireball as his car nearly completely disintegrated from the impact and ensuing explosion. Swede was still conscious during the event, and could be seen moving in the flames as rescue crews tried to reach him.

Amazingly, he survived and was hurried to the hospital where they began treating his injuries. On the way to the hospital, a still conscious Swede continued to joke with the medical staff, which only led to high expectations that he would live through his injuries. However, over the next several days and weeks, his condition slowly deteriorated. His lungs were badly burned, which were causing him to fail to get enough oxygen to the blood. He had to receive a transfusion due to the extent of his injuries, but the blood contained hepatitus, which attacked his organs and he began to experience liver failure as a result. However, the family felt that his injuries were simply too severe and that he just hung on as long as he could keep fighting until he finally succumbed in the end. Swede Savage died on 26 July 1973. His body was returned to San Bernardino, California for burial where he was interred at Mountain View Cemetery.

But his story did not end with his passing. His wife was home, pregnant with their second child. His young daughter Shelly was only 8 years old at the time of her father's tragic death. His young daughter who was soon to be born grew up never meeting her father, but many years later, began to meet her father's fans, and this experience helped her heal from the pain and sorrow she had felt all her life. His oldest daughter Shelly passed away some years later in 1995 from leukemia and was buried next to her Daddy.

Though his racing career was short, and he died young, his spectacular ending was remembered by all, and his blatant enthusiasm for the sport was missed.

• Fact: Burial (1973) Mountain View Cemetery, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California, United States
• Fact: Obituary (3 July 1973) Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
• Fact: Obituary (4 July 1973) Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
• Fact: Obituary (8 July 1973) San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States
• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch "Swede" Savage was an American race car driver. He died at age 26 from complications from a blood transfusion while recovering from injuries suffered in a crash during the 1973 Indianapolis 500, nearly five weeks earlier.

Sources

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 19 June 2021, 01:43), entry for David Earl "Swede" Savage Jr. (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:MFPJ-4C1 ); contributed by various users.

• "California Birth Index, 1905-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VG8B-N4S : 27 November 2014), David Earl Savage, 26 Aug 1946; citing San Bernardino, California, United States, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento.

• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJ1-B51X : 26 July 2019), Swede Savage, 1973; Burial, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California, United States of America, Mountain View Cemetery; citing record ID 8366, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JG3Q-G53 : 11 January 2021), David Savage, Jul 1973; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5QD-L1WN : 18 July 2020), David Earl Or Swede Savage Jr, 1973.

• "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPFH-DF5 : 26 November 2014), Savage in entry for Shelly Larson, 22 Jun 1995; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.