In there were three serious accidents at Imola. During the Friday practice, Rubens Barrichello hit the fence at the Variante Bassa. It was a very hard crash and he was knocked unconscious for a few minutes. During the qualifying session on Saturday, Austrian Roland Ratzenberger crashed at the Villeneuve Corner. He hit a concrete barrier wall almost head-on and was received a very bad head injury. He was taken to the hospital, but died from injuries. In the race on Sunday, 3-time World Champion Ayrton Senna hit a concrete wall at Tamburello Corner. Senna was killed instantly. In two unrelated accidents, several spectators and mechanics were also injured during the race.