Theriault suffers compression fracture in back after nasty Truck crash

Austin Theriault suffered a compression fracture in his lower back after a vicious crash during Saturday night's Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas.

Yes, you guessed it too. Theriault's truck didn't hit a wall that was protected by SAFER barrier.

Theriault's teammate, Josh Reddick, had hit the wall ahead of him. Reddick saved his truck from spinning out and as he came back down the track he and Theriault made contact. The contact sent Theriault head-on into the wall.

Theriault, who has two top-five finishes and four top 10s in eight Truck starts in 2015, was able to climb from his truck but sat on the ground once he did. He was taken on a backboard to a nearby ambulance and transported to a Las Vegas hospital.

Kyle Busch's leg and foot injuries at Daytona came after he hit into an unprotected wall. When Denny Hamlin suffered a compression fracture in his lower back at Auto Club Speedway in 2013, he also hit a bare concrete wall. While no one is saying that SAFER barriers, the walls that are energy-absorbing with foam in the middle, prevent injuries, it's incredibly clear to anyone who follows racing that they certainly minimize the risk of them.

And once again, we'll write that it's inexplicable that NASCAR and its tracks haven't figured out a way to have them lining every possible wall. The sanctioning body is rich; look at the $4+ billion TV contract it signed. If it takes NASCAR footing the bill for all of its tracks to be as safe as possible, then so be it. Drivers don't need to be unnecessarily getting hurt. It's no longer acceptable for NASCAR and its tracks to pretend the sport is as safe as possible.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg