Alex Harvill died while practicing to attempt a world record jump. The fatal accident has left the world of stunting in shock.
Alex Harvill, a well-known motorcycle stuntman, died while practicing to attempt a world record jump at the Washington's Moses Lake Airshow. He was 28 years of age. Harvill was attempting to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest motorbike ramp jump when he died during a warm-up jump.
According to media reports, Harvill tried to jump from a pre-built, moving ramp to a dirt ramp 351 feet. Additionally, reports stated that the Grant County Coroner's Office confirmed the stuntman died due to the injuries suffered in the accident.
Robbie Maddison, an Australian stuntman, set the current record jump of 351 feet in March 2008. Maddison used Instagram to express his grief after the deadly accident.
He shared a photo of the site of the stunt, which included Harvill in action. "Shattered by the news of @ah352's passing. He flew over a motorcycle and was on the way to set a world record by paying the ultimate price. My heartfelt condolences to him. We give Jessica, Willy and Watson our sympathies. Alex Harvill, may your soul rest in peace." In the caption, he wrote.
Harvill, of Ephrata, Washington, was already a Guinness World Record holder for the longest dirt-to-dirt jump. In 2013, he jumped 297 feet in West Richland, Washington's Horn Rapids Motorsports Complex. He started riding when he was four, although he used to ride the front of his father's bike, he said in an interview with a Central Washington newspaper. "I've ridden dirt motorcycles my entire life and look up to everyone who races dirt bikes and believe those guys to be heroes," he explained in the interview.
Harvill survived by his wife Jessica and their children Willis, five, and Watson Robert Harvill, a newborn.
