Leap kills Motocross Rider Jeremy Lusk

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:32 pm

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP)—Jeremy Lusk, an American freestyle motocross racer, died of head injuries Tuesday after crashing while trying to land a backflip in competition. He was 24.

Jorge Ramirez, chief of the intensive care unit at Calderon Hospital where Lusk was taken, said the motocross racer suffered severe brain damage and a possible spinal cord injury.

Lusk won a gold medal at the 2008 X Games. He was injured Saturday night when he failed to complete a full rotation while attempting a Hart Attack backflip and slammed headfirst into the dirt. Lusk crashed in almost identical fashion in the freestyle semifinals at the 2007 X Games but was not hurt.

He had a successful 2008 season, winning Freestyle gold at the X Games and silver in Best Trick when he landed the first double-grab Hart Attack backflip. He won a bronze helmet in Freestyle at the Moto X World Championships in his hometown of San Diego.

Ramirez said Lusk died with his parents and his wife, Lauren, at his side.

“He was in a medicine-induced coma as a protective measure, and the medicine was being reduced to see how his organism responded,” he said. “That didn’t mean he was going to wake up. He was in shock and that got worse last night, until he stopped responding and entered into cardiac and respiratory failure.”

Lusk lived in Temecula, Calif.

witchhunt · Post by **witchhunt** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:34 pm

Did you see the clips on Youtube? It looked like his helmet broke apart.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:34 pm

UNEARTHA7XMatt · Post by **UNEARTHA7XMatt** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:44 am

RIP Its rough to watch a rider go down but that one was probably the worst I have seen in a LONG TIME, Maybe since Seth Enslow wrecked trying to jump over his house. Sad day for the FMX world!

Post by **Ron** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:19 pm

witchhunt wrote:Did you see the clips on Youtube? It looked like his helmet broke apart.

Helmets are supposed to break apart... that's how the energy of the impact is absorbed. If the helmet stayed in one piece the impact would instead be transferred to your skull. It's like the race cars that rip to shreds except for the roll cage. Regardless, no helmet is going to help you when you land like that.

R.I.P. Jeremy.

witchhunt · Post by **witchhunt** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 11:02 pm

Ron wrote:
witchhunt wrote:Did you see the clips on Youtube? It looked like his helmet broke apart.
Helmets are supposed to break apart... that's how the energy of the impact is absorbed. If the helmet stayed in one piece the impact would instead be transferred to your skull. It's like the race cars that rip to shreds except for the roll cage. Regardless, no helmet is going to help you when you land like that.

R.I.P. Jeremy.

After seeing another angle, I think it was his visor that was coming off.

felix'apprentice · Post by **felix'apprentice** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:19 pm

wow ... that was a crazy crash. it gave me goosebumps. talk about giving it all for something you love to do.

rip