Yahoo Autos Cause of Jessi Combs's Fatal 550-MPH Crash in Land Speed Racer Was Front Wheel Failure
The cause of the crash that killed land speed racer, TV personality, and daredevil Jessi Combs has been announced by the Harney County (Oregon) sheriff's department.
Combs was killed in late August while trying to break 512 mph and set a new record as a driver with the North American Eagle team. She had been with the team since 2013.
Cause of death was determined to be "a mechanical failure of the front wheel, most likely caused from striking an object" during the desert run, the sheriff's office said.
The Harney County, Oregon, sheriff department has released the final results of its investigation into the high-speed crash of the North American Eagle during a land-speed record attempt in late August. According to the department's press release, first reported by TMZ, the front wheel experienced mechanical failure, "most likely caused from striking an object on the desert. The front wheel failure led to the front wheel assembly collapsing."
The report stated that the failure occurred at "speeds approaching 550 mph," and the cause of Combs's death was determined to have been blunt-force trauma to the head that occurred before the fire that engulfed the land-speed-record vehicle.
The press release was dated September 17, but a sheriff department spokesperson told C/D that it was not made public until now while waiting for the medical examiner's report to confirm, which has now occurred.
The department also stated its condolences to the team and to the family of the late racer.
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