Sherman Dwayne "Butch" Laswell (October 12, 1958 - March 10, 1996) is an American acrobat and professional motorcycle rider. Laswell died during a live action in front of a crowd of spectators, while trying to make a dangerous motorcycle jump in Mesquite, Nevada. Laswell performed more than 6,000 ramp-to-ramp jumps before the first and only accident that ended in tragedy. Fatal accident caught on camera.
Video Butch Laswell
Careers
Laswell is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada but raised in Overton, Nevada. From a young age he became a fan of Evel Knievel, who first led him to pursue a stunt riding motor. At the age of 12 he began to build ramps and jumped his parents' cars on his bicycle. Laswell gets his first motorcycle aged 15 and pursues desert motorcycle racing. At the age of 17 he was one of the desert cyclists over Nevada and achieved professional status two years later. However, Laswell's true spirit is on a motorcycle leap. He started doing small shows and jumped over the school buses and big rigs.
One of Laswell's earliest achievements was when he beat the 176ft Distance Remote World Record, which he achieved in 1981 when he jumped 180 feet at 440 Maico. He then pursued his full-time motorcycle career and motorcycle action and jumped to the next level. In the 1980s, Laswell filmed a TV commercial for the US Coast Guard and appeared on a reality television show, That's Incredible! , in which he recorded a world record wheelie demo. He then spent several years working for the Globe of death circus, where he performed a variety of motor actions that had never been tried before. In January 1992, at the Village Vacation hotel, Laswell established the world's highest ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jump. He set a record at 41 feet.
Maps Butch Laswell
Death
On Sunday, March 10, 1996, outside the casino hotel and casino in Mesquite, Nevada, Laswell attempted to jump over a 38 foot (12 feet) pedestrian bridge on a steep climb with a Honda CR500 motorcycle. As he made the leap and became air, he blew in the air. Crosswinds and excessive speed pushed Laswell to the left of the landing lane. Laswell then flat from a height of 65 feet (20 m) and fell to the concrete below. According to witnesses, Laswell was trying to steer his bicycle away from the crowd. Laswell tried to break his best foot as high as 41 feet (12 m) and set a world record. The Laswell trachea is crushed and the skull and chest are cracked, among many other deep wounds. Records of fatal accidents were also caught on camera by a film crew who was filming the show live. The paramedics took Laswell back to Las Vegas by ambulance, met the Flight for Life helicopter next to the highway for transfer. Laswell died in a helicopter during the transfer and was declared dead at 4:39.
Aftermath
Some friends and colleagues say Laswell is afraid of jumping because of strong winds. Others said he was determined to make the leap so as not to disappoint the throngs of thousands gathered to watch him, as well as the film crew recording the scene. Laswell's closest friends blame the wind for a failed jump. Laswell's manager, Douglas MacValley, argued that the disaster was caused by mechanical problems and strategic mistakes. Lieutenant Governor Lonnie Hammargren, a renowned brain surgeon and friend of Laswell, said he did not feel the paramedics responding to the accident gave enough support to keep Laswell alive. Hammargren was in the crowd and reportedly pushed away from Laswell's body by emergency personnel after the accident. Hammargren drove Laswell in a Flight for Life helicopter, where he succumbed to his injuries. Laswell was then flown to University Medical Center. Hammargren has publicly stated that tracheotomy is necessary for Laswell to remain alive, but not by Mesquite paramedics. The deadly video footage was captured by video cameras by film crews who were filming the event live. The tapes have been shown on television documentaries and films filming 1998, Banned from Television .
See also
- Corey Scott
- List of deaths with motorcycle accidents
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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