Butch Laswell
| Butch Laswell | |
|---|---|
 Laswell attempting the motorcycle jump that proved fatal. | |
| Born |
Sherman Dwayne Laswell October 12, 1958 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Died |
March 10, 1996 (aged 37) Mesquite, Nevada, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Motorcycle accident |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Motorcycle stunt rider |
Sherman Dwayne "Butch" Laswell (October 12, 1958 – March 10, 1996)[1] was an American professional motorcycle stunt rider, who died during a live stunt in front of a crowd of spectators, while attempting to carry out a dangerous motorcycle jump in Mesquite, Nevada. Laswell performed over 6,000 ramp to ramp jumps before his first and only crash which ended in tragedy. The fatal accident was captured on camera.[2]
Accident
On Sunday, March 10, 1996, in Mesquite, Nevada, Laswell attempted to jump over a 38-foot-high pedestrian bridge by driving up a steep ramp on a Honda CR500 motorcycle. As he made the jump and became airborne, he was blown off course in mid-air. Crosswinds and excessive speed pushed Laswell to the left of the landing ramp. Laswell then flatlanded from 65 feet high and crashed to the concrete below. According to witnesses Laswell tried to steer his bike away from the crowd. Laswell had been trying to break his personal best of 41 feet high and set a world record.[3] Laswell's trachea was crushed and his skull and chest were cracked, among many other internal injuries. Footage of the fatal accident was also captured on camera. Paramedics took Laswell back toward Las Vegas in an ambulance, meeting a Flight for Life helicopter next to the highway for a transfer. Laswell died in the helicopter during the transfer and was pronounced dead at 4:39 p.m.[4]
Aftermath
Some friends and associates said Laswell was fearful of making the jump because of gusting winds. Others said he was determined to carry out the jump to avoid disappointing a crowd of thousands that had gathered to watch him, as well as movie crews who were filming the scene. Laswell's closest friends blamed the wind for the failed jump. Laswell's manager, Douglas MacValley, contends the disaster resulted from a mechanical problem and a strategic error. Lt. Governor Lonnie Hammargren, a noted brain surgeon and friend of Laswell, said he didn't feel the paramedics responding to the crash provided adequate support to keep Laswell alive. Hammargren was in the crowd and was reportedly pushed away from Laswell's body by emergency personnel after the crash. Hammargren rode with Laswell in the Flight for Life helicopter, where he succumbed to his injuries. Laswell was then flown to University Medical Center. Hammargren has stated publicly that a tracheotomy was necessary to keep Laswell alive, but was not performed by Mesquite paramedics. Footage of the fatal stunt was caught on video camera by movie crews who were filming the event live. The footage has been shown on television documentaries as well as the 1998 shockumentary film, Banned from Television.[5]