Justin Weeks Needs Your Support
bayodome
- September 18 2009
- 29,022 views
- 40 comments
A few weeks ago, the motocross community was struck with some sad news. Young up and comer, Justin Weeks, suffered a horrible crash during the week following the Budds Creek National. Justin had recently graduated from the amateur ranks at Loretta Lynn’s and made his professional debut at Unadilla scoring 18-15 moto scores. After Budds Creek, Justin was at a local race in Michigan when his bike bogged on the face of a small double during practice. The resulting crash sent the young Suzuki rider over the bars and directly into the face of the landing. Among his injuries, Justin suffered a broken jaw and three fractured vertebrae. While there is no visible damage to the spinal cord, Justin currently has no feeling below mid-chest.
Justin is lucky enough to have some very caring people in his life, and we recently spoke with his girlfriend, Maria. She has taken the liberty of setting up a website for Justin on which she has regular updates on his condition and has set up a donation page for anyone willing to help out this fellow racer. Most of us here at TransWorld are avid MX enthusiasts who not only follow the sport, but also ride on a regular basis, so news of this kind hits very close to home. Having watched Justin at both Unadilla and Budds Creek, there is no doubt the kid has some talent. Our thoughts are with Justin, his family and his friends. Please take a few minutes to visit www.justinweeks381.com
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September 18th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
My heart goes out for him and his family, this is really to bad. i ll be praying for him. get well soon man
September 19th, 2009 at 12:35 am
leatt brace? helloooo
September 19th, 2009 at 12:53 am
I hate carburetors! Although a Leatt brace could have helped, there is no guarantee, things happen, it is the nature of our sport.
My prayers are with him. Get well soon brother.
September 19th, 2009 at 2:49 am
sucks to hear that
September 19th, 2009 at 4:18 am
I don't care if a bike has carb or efi. Shit happens!
September 19th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Always sucks 2 hear another fellow rider is down. Doctors are badass. You'll get better. Godspeed.
September 19th, 2009 at 10:43 am
yeah i wish he had the Leatt on. it would make me feel better that he had some sort of protection. if you click on the website those are the pictures from the morning practice before he got hurt and defeniltly no leatt on. hope to see him back soon. get well.
September 19th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Justin is in a wheel chair! Have some respect! A Leatt brace is a choice. You should really think about what you post, and who it may effect. The Weeks are a great family.
September 19th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Does anybody know what track he crashed at in MI?
September 19th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Never mind, Maria posted it on their website. It was at Freelin MX
September 19th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
yeah a leatt is an option and it might have helped but this santiago guy pisses me off. dont post something like that. show some respect. leatt or not things happen and its reallty unfortunate
September 19th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I know it's a sensitive issue guys, not here to upset anyone… I hate to see guys go down like this, just a reminder to everyone out there, you shouldn't say a neck brace is an option… is a must.
September 20th, 2009 at 12:59 am
maybe this guy is like me and cant fit a neck brace between his helmet and shoulders. it sucks and i am pretty selfconscious about it. all tho i have a neck its just short ..doc said i have 2 vertebrates fused together.
September 20th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
sounds like a back injury genius.
September 20th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
You should always wear a leatt brace or your gonna get hurt. He should of thought about the dangers b4 he raced
September 20th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
or we could blame 4strokes.
September 20th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
you guys are rediculous, the kid is in the hospital.. and no one knows if he will ever walk again. let alone do something he loves (racing) and you guys are arguing about whether he should or should not have had a leatt on? and a leatt brace is not 100 percent effective. so please think before you guys say things, whether you believe it or not. small things hurt people with big hearts..
September 21st, 2009 at 12:47 am
besides all this what do you think we did before leatt braces? these are fairly new to the sport.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:19 am
u no what u guys that said anything about him haveing a leatt on r f*cking a**holes! this kid is a awsome rider and a really cool kid and for u to even say anything like that u have to be a p.o.s its his choice to ware one u think he is asking for u guys to feel sad for him. he isent..shit happens racing.. who can say that it still wouldent have happened with one on.. no one knows alright so have some respect with a fellow motocrosser. the sad thing is u guys probly hadly even no how to ride! and sssb (You should always wear a leatt brace or your gonna get hurt. He should of thought about the dangers b4 he raced ) wtf does that mean. ur trying to say he doesent no that things are ging to happen…i garenty he wouldent change a thing…u no y cuz he was doing what he loved! and ur a dumbass if u really think u wont get hurt if u have one on! i know alot of ppl that have ben seriously hurt bye them also! so if u guys only have f*ucked up crap to say keep it to urselfs!
September 21st, 2009 at 1:45 am
get better soon justin!
September 21st, 2009 at 2:24 am
ok for some reason i cant login… soo…
Look. you guys remember the david bailey video from when the last upcomer got hurt like this and the leatt had just come out?
Yea well if you havent seen it you need to watch it.
And all this crap about neck braces being choice? dont mention a leatt because its his choice? and it might not have prevented it????
ok. thats like drinking and driving… its your choice whether or not you do it, but that still doesnt mean you arent an idiot for doing it.
so you assholes who are blowing up bc people are saying "wheres his neck brace" need to shove it.
I hope this kid gets better by all means and im sorry he is in this situation.
but nonetheless… he SHOULD have had a brace on. NOBODY is TOO GOOD for a NECK BRACE. NOT EVEN JAMES STEWART, and in my opinion, all the pros who dont wear one are STUPID!!!
Justin bro, pull through this and get better man, im sorry you are going through this crap….
and when you get back out on that track again… we know you will… get yourself a neck brace….
September 21st, 2009 at 2:28 am
as for you mr. samuels… you are perhaps the biggest douchebag to browse this site. SHUT UP. you freakin uneducate MORON. we all feel sorry for the guy… and sorry to hurt your feelings, BUT EVERYONE NEEDS A BRACE… and we probably dont know how to ride? in my experience its jackasses like you who get on all these sites pretending to be big and bad while you really hide behind your keyboard and glorified wall dedicated to whomever is the most popular rider this week… and I highly doubt you are very fast… if you are, you are goin for the same path as J LAW… douche
September 21st, 2009 at 3:46 am
Stop with the neck brace!!!!!!!! alot of racers do not wear them. it might have helped. but whats done is done. he was an incredible rider to watch. and my heart goes out to his family and girlfriend.
September 21st, 2009 at 3:49 am
thanks tweek117…
I hope he gets welsoon…
I saw Bailey's video just after Ernie got paralyzed,… So for all of you please use it! you would never have to ask yourself, what if….?
GUYS there is tooo Much to loose no to use one.
Take care
R.I.P. 68 Oscar Diaz. we'll miss you.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
What a horrible thing to happen to a rider. =( I must say though a Leatt might have saved his vertebrae, it's impossible to tell but I'll never ride without one.
September 21st, 2009 at 3:20 pm
stop talking about carbs and leatt braces and show some respect.
September 21st, 2009 at 7:00 pm
My prayers go out to his and his family! get well soon! Have faith - and believe in miracles. You can walk again!!!
To the rest of you - be safe!
September 21st, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I wonder if the tracks have become so aggressive with steep jumps and combinations that contribute to making a bad crash much worse. We used to worry about too much speed on a track but maybe the obstacles should also be reviewed, at least for those who aren't pros yet. It seems as though we have seen a lot more fatalities and 'wheelchair" crashes in the last few years even though safety equipment is much better.
Too many of these type of really bad injuries at the lower levels, will kill the sport.
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 am
I Agree with Mark Samuels you guys are idiots!!!! Someone who is a top runner at loretta lynns and qualifying for ama Nationals knows the dangers of throwing your leg over a bike, leatts shouldnt have even been brought up.. When someone goes down in our sport its a huge reality check to everyone because it could have been any of us, so keep your SH!??Y Oppinions to yourself and prey for this guy to get better just as you would want people to do for you!!!
Get well soon ,, #641
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Get well soon man, my prayers are with you.
BTW what happend to Oscar Diaz #68?
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:24 pm
justin weeks was hauling in practice at freelin the day of his crash. it wasnt the obstacle, he was just trying to go fast over a jump that you ride up a hill to a douple. he was tripling that. his front wheel clipped the actual double which threw him head first into the next one. thats what happened. he was just trying to make himself faster on the track. and thats what all top riders do, try to make them selfs faster at certain tracks. and the leatt thing, i really dont think it would of helped him, cause he hit so hard. my buddies brother in law who is a pro, just went over the bars and shattered his leatt. but he didnt hit his head as hard as justin. all the leatt is is a piece of plastic, which will help you in most falls, but not in some. look at brandin mays, he got really hurt about 2 years ago, broke his neck and his back.
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:18 pm
A leatt is like a seat belt sometimes it helps sometimes it hinders what do we have a bunch of Leatt reps this kid has more talent then any one of you who posting comments. Fast people crash hard I wear a leatt but I am not going to preach show some f nn respect instead of this shoulda woulda coulda bullshit
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:32 am
When I 1st read about Justin's accident right after it happened it really hit me emotionally. My number in my race days was #381(the month and year I was born) and raced from '93-'01. There was no such thing as a Leatt brace in those days. I was raised in South Louisiana and practiced with KDub many days a week for years so there were many times of riding over my head and along with that came numerous injuries but nothing as great as Justin's. I have been keeping him and his family in my thoughts and prayers to a speedy recovery. Most of the people on these forums have no idea what its like to train and race at that level(I was at Loretta's in '97) and love to hate. How would you feel if it was you in that much pain and people were talking whether you were wearing the Leatt or not? Whats done is done and just keep it positive for a speedy recovery for a young, fast, hard working racer who just graduated from Hurricane Mills, TN.
Long live the #381!!
September 23rd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
stay strong man!!! hate to see this happen in the sport. hope your out racing again soon!
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:52 pm
wow what a respectful thing to say..leatt braces aren't the savior of motocross. I had a good friend just this past summer who broke his t3 vertebra while wearing a leatt brace..shows how stupid some people (santiago) are.
September 24th, 2009 at 2:20 am
not everyone wears leatts. its all a choice. some people have them and highly dislike them because they cant move or dont feel comfortable in them. so all you people that say you should, shut up. because you dont even know.
September 24th, 2009 at 11:45 am
justin.hope all is well, positive mind set ,steady as you go .foward speedy recovery,if you thinkits bad look around,my wife works with small children handicapped,one is 3 years old blind and deaf.all he does is smilewhy!you ask why, no one knows,but im 50 yrs young, seen you at mini-os i have faith you will be fine rember everthing thats happeing to you has already happened to some one else you will get through this be good,speedy recovery mx 320
September 25th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Freelin MX
September 25th, 2009 at 5:48 am
I heard that no one has broken their neck with a Leatt Brace on!? As for the mid back I do not not know. Some people like Ricky James ride again after paralyis but they still have to deal with no feeling, can't piss, and bowels all screwed up. "Leatt or Live with it"
September 26th, 2009 at 11:50 am
u guys dont no wat paralyzation is motherfuckers u just keep taking walking for granted! my prayers are with u justin.. im a quadriplegic…17yrs old..