LONG POND — Justin Wilson always understood the danger that lurked behind the wheel for an IndyCar driver.

“When it goes wrong,” Wilson said following his 2012 return from race injuries, “it can get messy.”

It went terribly wrong for Wilson on Sunday.

The British driver was in a coma in critical condition after sustaining a head injury when he was hit by a large piece of debris that broke off another car in the crash-filled race at Pocono Raceway. IndyCar released the information on Wilson’s condition Sunday night and said he was undergoing evaluation at Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown.

The debris shot off Sage Karam’s car when Karam spun into the wall late in the race. Wilson’s car veered left and directly into an interior wall. He was quickly swarmed by the safety crew and taken away by helicopter.

“It’s just a tough one right now,” said Michael Andretti, car owner for Wilson and race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Justin right now. We’re going to see. Hopefully, he’s OK.”

Wilson’s wife, Julia, was transported to Pennsylvania from their home in Colorado by IndyCar, while his younger brother, Stefan, was lent Tony Stewart’s plane to make the trip from Indianapolis. Stewart, the three-time NASCAR champion and former IndyCar champion, is an Indiana native.

“Praying for my bro right now,” he tweeted.

IndyCar had a subdued victory lane and Hunter-Reay said his thoughts were only with Wilson, a popular driver in the paddock.

The accident was a grim reminder how drivers in open-wheel racing put their lives on the line.

Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in 2011 after his car became ensnared in a fiery 15-car pileup, flew over another vehicle and landed in a catch fence at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.