There are some things that the human body just wasn’t meant for. When ligaments snap or bones break, it is an unequivocal sign that the limits of stress tolerance have been exceeded (and with usually dire consequences). So when there’s a story about a motorcycle crash that involves the phrase “his full-face helmet shears apart on impact,” i.e. even the protective gear couldn’t withstand the impact, it’s safe to say something catastrophically violent has just taken place.

(Sometimes, there’s a cruel reminder that the phrase “death-defying” involves “death.”)

So that takes us to Costa Rica, where 24-year-old freestyle motorcyclist Jeremy Lusk, shown above, died two days after an awful crash at an X Riders show. As the USA TODAY reports, on the smaller of two jumps in a run, Lusk attempted a backflip, and the trick looked fine in the air. Upon landing, though, the bike pitched forward upon landing, catapulting Lusk face-first into the ground. Video of the crash is after the break if you’re enough of a bloodthirsty jackal to want to see it.

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Times are apparently tough for adventurers of the two-wheeled variety. First came news that a noted world-traveling bicyclist was run over by a car in Greece. Now comes word from the AP that a motorcycle maverick was killed at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah after a crash at almost 250 mph.

Cliff Gullett of Bozeman, Montana, held several land speed records, and was apparently trying to set a record in the 500cc Streamliner class. These machines are enclosed, low-slung motorcycles that are designed to have as little wind resistance as possible (this the name “Streamliner”). It goes without saying that it’s a bit more technically advanced than my old dirt bike.

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