MTB rider recovering after being crushed by boulder
March 9th, 2012
By Jason McDonald A Mission Viejo man crushed by a large boulder while racing in a Downhill Mountain Bike competition is on his way to full recovery. Dakota Dulmage, 20, was racing in the Mens Pro class of the Shimano Winter Series Round 4 in Fontana, California on February 19th, when the unlikely turn of events happened. Dakota suffered 7 broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a torn rotator cuff when he flew over the bars and smashed into an estimated 400lb. plus boulder that dislodged and rolled on top of him. Spectator, Jaime DelTiempo, who captured video of the incident, stopped recording as soon as he saw it happen out of fear of the severity. “I saw it happen in my phone screen and I looked away and stopped recording as 7 or 8 bystanders close to the rider ran to assist him.” see attached video Thomas Stees, a fellow competitor, witnessed the incident, “It was as if it happened in slow motion from a movie. I saw it start to compress his chest down, bystanders gasping and freaking out, and 8 or so of the nearest spectators quickly running to remove the boulder from his chest.” Witnesses report that the quick reactions of race spectators and the safety precautions of SRC – Southridge Racing Co. kept the situation from being more serious. An EMT/Course Marshal was stationed in the vicinity of the accident and began attending to the rider while Paramedics made their way up the hill. After Dakota was stabilized, the Paramedics had to carefully make their way down the trail, employing an alternate route so he could be taken to the hospital for treatment. Dakota, when reached for comment on the incident, had this to say “I had not been on the bike in nearly 6 months and I was pushing beyond my limits trying to compete. I clipped my pedal coming into the turn and catapulted over the bars. As I contacted the rock I remember trying to hold on and then realized that the rock was rolling on top of me as I ended up on my back.” “I want to personally thank everyone at Southridge that day for their quick response and remind people to ride within your limits” he also added. Donny Jackson owner/manager of Southridge Racing Co., was quoted as saying“People need to realize that Mountain Bike racing, and the Downhill variety more specifically, is one of the most dangerous sports to participate in. Rider safety is our primary concern and Dakota's incident was a freak accident, but with proper planning and rider awareness, we can minimize these occurrences.” SRC has been maintaining and operating a safe and successful race series for years, while offering multiple disciplines of racing opportunities from kids to adults an beginner to pro level competition. FULL SIZED FRAME BY FRAME PHOTO SLIDE SHOW - LINKED HERE |
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