Check this out http://www.dynoport.com/safety-article.html I am still trying to get accurate details about the fatal practice accident out in Dripping Springs 2 weekends ago, but I understand it was from coming up short on a jump. This discussion could go on forever, but as a dirt bike community it is worthy of discussion to ensure our sport is as safe as possible but still challenging and exciting.

actually Chris-
the actual quote from Richard Herman was
" Riding motorcycles is like being pregnant- you know sooner or later you will be going to the hospital."

After all- he was my hero/ one of...

wow, good arguments all around! neo, i think i actually sold you your boots at cycle gear, good luck!! as for the mx vs. hs debate, im not to sure how one should go about that. the results show for themselves that im guessing people are getting injured more on mx tracks, BUT, the question is how do you feel about it? myself, i feel waaay safer on an mx track than i do in the woods (yet im out now with compressed vertebre and broken ribs, from an mx track). almost all of my injuries have been from on an mx track, but i have to ask myself, if its on an mx track, but its part of the hs course, does that count for both, or do i have to pick if i got hurt on mx or hs? ne hoo, i think every hs racer will agree that riding mx enhances your skills in the woods (dont belive me ask mike kiedrowski). its all in what you push yourself to do, if you want to blast through the trees in 5th gear wfo, you will probably get hurt. if you want to blast over a huge jump 2nd gear wfo, you will probably get hurt. its all about judgement. good luck, and most of all have fun!!!!
p.s. i think i know the jump mr darnell was talking about. its big. uphill triples are not to be fooled around with...especially that one. oh yeah and thanks for all your help mr darnell, dr. santos is awesome!!!!

I think the risk of getting hurt at MX and Hare Scrambles are pretty simular. I've been hurt doing both. but when engageing in any activity there is a risk. Just think you don't need to worry about getting hurt and just have fun. When it's no fun any more, don't do it.

MX:
Broken Ankle
Torn ACL

Off road/ hare scrambles:
Pulled back ligaments
Broken Toe
Broken Arm
Ruptured stomack
2 concousions
multiple stabbings by enviornmental objects. ie cati, trees etc

Skateboards:
broken arm
broken Tib fib
road rash on back
broken nose.

MTB:
Broken clavical
Broken Hand
broken arm
pealed off skin on shins
concussion.

Rugby:
4 concussions
Torn ACL
broken fingers
broken nose
sprained ankles.

Being at the wrong place at the wrong time:
Broken Toe and rippend off toe nail -drunk college
slipped disk - work
concussion - car accident
broken nose - car accident
whiplash - car accident
etc. etc. etc.

I just think it's obvious (sorry) flying thru the air (20/ 30/ 50 feet in the air) bike/ rider weight/ speed ...... and then you miss ... which you will at sometime ...... the enertia generated when you "slam" into a jump face ... is going to cause "serious" injuries .... simple physics, really ....
Every injury (of any serious nature) with my family and friends have been from jumps .... ?????

Motorcycles don't hurt riders, riders hurt riders. Sorry, that was dumb.

I grew up racing all kinds of different things. Four-wheelers at first, then on to bikes. I have ridden for 20 years now and I will be turning 27 this Sunday. I've raced motocross, enduros, hare scrambles, arenacross, supercoss, heck, I've even barrel raced bikes in rodeos. I've raced bmx, go-carts, and even r.c. cars.
I have broken a lot of bones riding, including my back, but my worst injury didn't come from racing at all. It came playing the cruel and deadly game of golf! Before you laugh, please let me explain. You know how they sometimes have ropes on the ground at driving ranges that you can't hit the ball in front of? Well I caught the rope right after I made contact with the ball as the club was upswinging. I hyper-extended my wrist and broke it along with a bone in my hand. No big deal, huh? Well that very bone has a very important tendon stuck to it that goes down to your middle finger and controls all. When the bone broke it tore the tendon about 90% of the way through. Being in college at the time and without insurance, I elected not to have surgery. That probably would have helped. All I can say is that it hurts very badly all the time. I quickly forgot about my back pains after this injury. I now work on a computer all day and that just adds to the wrist pain, but the track ball mouse has definitely changed my life for the better.
So, the moral of this story is that golf sucks!

Well I have a little to share about crashes...

I rode trails with some cool jumps from about 13 to 16 on a CR 80 then xr 100.

Well I had two "big" crashes....

Kinda funny though:

1. Riding on some new / dirt with my trusty dog....(best dog I ever had)...She would run with me as much as she could and never quit !! I would leave her waaayyyyyyy behind...then if I stopped...here she came with her tongue out...lol...she would never quit !!

Anyway, riding on new/loose dirt on a construction site a tall level being built in dirt....I turned the front wheel slightly and my dog....get her name "buddy but" (vowels pronounced like in the word "could")...and buddy but thought I was turning to go down the levee....however I didn't...she hit the front wheel and made me fall I recall I was in 3rd gear...Att that time I had an open face helmet and literally "ate dirt" !!! My friend on a YZ 80 pulled up laughing his ass off at me asking if I was OK...

No serious injuries...

2. Get this...
I was riding along a bayou and road...with several jumps over about a 2 mile stretch...
Well the biggest jump on the trail....probably fly 25 feet in the air if hit pretty hard....was booby trapped !!!!

It was in the country, and the homeowner across the road (from the jump) was burning a pile of trash on top of the hill....lo and behold a "looped" mind you barbed wire ....that I noticed at the last minute...just perfectly connected to my brake lever and stopped the bike in mid air....I flew over the handle bars and land on my back I think....well it knocked the wind out of me and I was grasping for air...

Worst of all....yeah the wind thing is really bad...but also...the homeowners and family was sitting on their porch and laughing there ass off at me the whole time....

I got up...catching my breath and trying to start my bike....then took off....

I was sore after that one...


After all the posts...I realized I had some crash experience too....

Big difference now is that on a yz 250 you hit race speed very very fast !!!



Anyhoo.....

Thanks for all the posts.... I am glad to hear about the fella who has been riding 2 years with no sereious injuries !!!

Got to go....

If anyone willing to meet up with me at a track (around H town) to get "introduced to MX" I would really appreciate it !!


Peace....

Yeah, I like those boots Casey !!

Chad

In reply to:
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I just think it's obvious (sorry) flying thru the air (20/ 30/ 50 feet in the air) bike/ rider weight/ speed ...... and then you miss ... which you will at sometime ...... the enertia generated when you "slam" into a jump face ... is going to cause "serious" injuries .... simple physics, really ....
Every injury (of any serious nature) with my family and friends have been from jumps .... ?????
_____________________________________________________________________________
What about trees? They don't seem to move much when you hit them!
_____________________________________________________________________________

There's a volicity difference ...... Yes, if you hit a tree at 80 miles an hour/ head on / certainly.. the same result will happen ...... but if someone can't see the difference between falling from, basically, 3 story's up on a motorcycle and then missing the landing ramp !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VS running into a tree in 2 gear gear ????????????????? that was my only point ......

The people that I know that have been seriously hurt, have been hurt jumping. I don't profess to be an expert ... I'm just giving an observation. I'm not trying to say one is better than the other ... just my personal observation.

Good Luck .....