Now THAT'S the pits! Four crewmen injured after being dramatically flung into the air during accident at German motor race

Pit stops in motor racing can often be frenetic and dangerous.
With high performance cars speeding in and out of the lanes and teams of mechanics working as fast as they can, the chances of an accident occurring are high.
And as this video perfectly demonstrates, there are many things that can suddenly go wrong.

Hazardous: An accident in the pit lane at a practice session for a German touring car competition in Zandvoort, Holland has highlighted how dangerous the sport can be. This picture shows mechanics working on Ralf Schumacher's car

Danger: Once the Mercedes-Benz crew have finished working on the car, Schumacher drives out of the lane

Problem: But as the car drives away, it catches onto an airline which was being held on the shoulder of one of the crewmen in an adjacent pit

During a practice session recently for the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), which is the German touring car competition, Ralf Schumacher had brought his car into the pit lane.
Everything seemed to go smoothly, and the vehicle left the pit lane to rejoin the other vehicles on the track in Zandvoort, Holland.
But as it passed an adjacent pit stop point along, the rear of the vehicle caught onto an air line which was on the shoulder of one of the crew men.
With Schumacher completely oblivious to what had happened, he drove on at speed.

Dramatic: The airline wraps around the feet of four members of the pit crew and flings them all into the air

Worrying: Schumacher was oblivious to what had happened as he drove off at speed. The four men were left spinning dangerously in the air

Shock: The crew members were left sprawled on the floor, writhing around in agony

However, as reported by autoblog, the air line looped down from its elevated rod and wrapped around four of the crew man. It dramatically took their legs from underneath them and flung them all into the air, with equipment and bodies littering the roadside.
The men writhed around in agony on the floor as other pit crews raced to help them.
Luckily, despite the men appearing to be seriously hurt they all received just minor injuries.

Help: Other crew members and adjacent teams rush to the aid of the injured men

Emergency: Paramedics and firefighters were also called to the scene to help

Relief: All four men were taken to hospital, but despite the accident initially looking very serious, they all received just minor injuries

They were taken to hospital and three have now been released with one still under observation.
The DTM is a car racing series which is based in Germany but also includes rounds elsewhere in Europe.
The sport is increasingly being used by young ambitious drivers to start their careers in single seat cars.