The Ford F-150 Raptor is aimed at those who want to have a little bit more fun with their truck than just taking it to the hardware store, but one owner found the limit of that fun when he broke his back after landing a huge jump.
According to the video description, the truck was traveling at 60 mph (96 km/h) when it hit the jump on the final backbreaking run. A video of an earlier run at a slower speed went off without a hitch, with the pickup truck handling the landing with grace.
In speaking with Jalopnik, Caz, the driver of the Raptor, says that the video was taken during an event held by Off-Road Revolution at Virginia International Raceway’s dirt track.
The jump seemingly goes off without a hitch, clearing more than 50 feet and landing with all four wheels on the ground (which is more than can be said about a lot of truck jump videos on the internet). The truck survived the jump with no problem; unfortunately, Caz did not.
Read More: This Ford Bronco Dealt With A 43-Foot Jump Like A Champ
Since all four wheels landed at the same time, there wasn’t enough suspension to go around, causing it to fully bottom out, as did the seat that he was sitting in, meaning the only thing left to compress was Caz’s spine, specifically, the T12 vertebra, which broke into three pieces.
Caz is clearly no stranger to offroading his 2021 F-150 Raptor, with tons of pictures on his social media showing the truck in various beautiful settings, mostly far away from the pavement.
The F-150 Raptor is meant to handle modicum of offroad action, but a jump of this size was too much for the stock suspension. The injury perfectly illustrates how even a planned stunt in a safe environment can go wrong.
Luckily, nobody besides Caz was hurt, and we hope that he fully recovers. We’re sure he’ll get right back on track when he feels better, and (probably) when his truck has some suspension upgrades.
Caz’s Instagram features a picture of the “restomod” that had to be done to his vertebra, featuring two rods and six screws to hold it all together. His social media also has screenshots of other publications that have written about the incident, so.. Hi Caz!