Dave Mirra

In 1993 (some sources say 1994), Mirra suffered a serious injury when he was struck by a drunk driver as he was crossing a street in Syracuse. He was sent to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder, fractured skull, and blood clot on the brain. Mirra returned to the bike within six months of the accident, after doctors said he would not ride again.

Mirra also suffered injuries in his sport. In 1995, he was injured while doing a performance on the vert ramp, and had to have his spleen removed. That same year, he moved to Greenville, North Carolina. By the mid-1990s, Mirra was considered the best and most dominant rider in his sport, and contributed to making the sport popular. Such attention was unexpected by Mirra.