National leading sports network has announced the discontinuation of certain events in its X Games competition, claiming the risk of danger for competitors and spectators is far too high to outweigh the entertainment factor. The events cancelled are known as best trick competitions in which, depending on the season of the Games, either Moto X riders or snowmobilers take off from a large ramp and attempt the “best trick” they can manage using their respective motor device. After two concerning incidents at last January’s Winter X Games, ESPN officials drew their attention to the worth of such events which leaves innocent individuals at risk of injury or even death. The announcement to remove the events from the Games was made on Wednesday, the 12th of March.
The first incident which sparked this concerned involved 25-year-old Caleb Moore. Moore was attempting a backflip in the freestyle event for snowmobiles at last January’s Aspen Winter X Games when his 450 pound vehicle caught the lip of the landing area and sent Caleb flying over the handlebars of his snowmobile. The snowmobile rider landed on his face only to be trampled by his rolling snowmobile. Caleb was then taken to the Grand Junction hospital to be treated for a concussion where he developed irreparable bleeding around his heart. The 25-year-old young man died a week later in the same hospital. Caleb Moore’s death marks the first fatality in the Winter X Games’ 18 year run.
Shockingly, the second incident, which took place the same night as Caleb’s accident, involved his younger brother Colten Moore. Colten was competing in the best trick event for snowmobiles when was dismantled from his bike sending the snowmobile speeding into the spectator stands. Colten sustained a separated pelvis in his accident and no spectators were seriously injured.
These events drew significant attention from the media and ESPN itself and the sports network understandable decided that the risk of these events is simply not enough to outweigh the entertainment value. While the X Games will still feature events involving Moto X and snowmobiles, freestyle and best trick events will no longer be featured in either the Summer or Winter X Games.
At Henry, Williams & Kinder, P.C., Attorneys at Law, our hearts go out to the Moore family mourning the loss of their loved one during this time. Given this incident, we would like to offer our legal services to any innocent victims of sports injuries and their families. Depending on the circumstances of the incident that led to your injuries, you may be entitled to seek compensation from the party responsible for the injuries. To learn more, contact a Springfield personal injury attorney at our firm.