BMX rider Pat Casey, a veteran of the Vans team, was an absolute monster on two wheels. Casey was the very definition of an innovator — a man with an incredibly deep bag of tricks, twists, and flips, and an expert transition rider, meaning that he virtually never failed to stick the landing.
Turning pro at just 14, Casey promptly began attracting attention for his sublime skills, and at the X Games, he medalled three times — taking bronze in the BMX Freestyle Park event in 2012, silver in 2013, and gold in 2021. Casey had the kind of career that speaks to a tireless dedication to the sport of BMX — and it was during a 2023 practice run that he unfortunately lost his life.
On June 7, NBC San Diego reported that Casey had been involved in an accident at Slayground Motocross Park in Ramona, California, a training and sometime event facility owned by fellow X Games star Axell Hodges. Shockingly, Casey missed his landing while completing a jump on a motorcycle, landing askew and causing the bike to fall on top of him. Emergency responders arrived quickly, but were unable to help Casey, who died at the scene. In an Instagram post, the 29-year-old’s wife, Chase, movingly eulogized her husband. “The world looked at you the way you looked at me,” she wrote. “Our children are strong, and I know that’s because of you.”