Aid Chase's Long Road to Recovery

Chase Curtis is a hard-working young man who has found his niche in motocross journalism through determination, self-motivation, and a work ethic that is second to none.

I hired him as an unpaid intern at TransWorld MX when he was still in high school, and he's grown into a partner at Swapmoto Live and is one of the best in his field.

Last weekend, Chase was at the Arlington Supercross shooting photos and videos, and was struck by an out-of-control rider who flew off the track during the last-chance qualifier. Chase suffered a badly broken tibia and fibula and is currently in surgery to repair the damage. What’s tricky is that he already has a large amount of hardware in that ankle, and the doctor is warning of complications and a long recovery. Best case scenario? The bones can be repaired with rods. Worst case scenario? Plates, screws, and an external fixator. The doctor also mentioned the high risk of compartment syndrome, and everyone in motocross knows about that horrific problem: Chase’s leg would have to be left filleted open for several days to relieve the extreme swelling.

So why a GoFundMe? Doesn’t Chase have insurance? Aren’t you, as his boss, going to help? Yes, Chase is still under his family’s health insurance (thank goodness he’s still under 26!), but their deductible is nearly $3000. SML will cover this for Chase (or I will personally if our CPA says it’s a no-no). There will inevitably be lots of out-of-pocket expenses that insurance does not cover. If you’ve ever gotten hurt, you know the drill… Chase’s parents both flew to Texas last night to be with him, and same-day airfare is not cheap. Depending on the outcome of the surgery, they may need to stay there while he remains hospitalized, and then there’s the debacle of getting him home with external hardware on his leg. Chase has no threat of lost wages through all of this, but his family certainly does, especially if he has to stay in Texas for any period of time.

And then there are the rehabilitation sessions and specialized treatments that he’s gonna need.

If you’ve ever seen Chase hobble around the track at the end of a long day, you know he’s gonna need some work after this most recent injury, in which he was 0% to blame. If he was riding the dirt bike and crashed… that’d be a different story.

Chase is more than an employee, business partner, or friend to me. He’s my family. Please help me make it a little easier on my White son who I love dearly. The mental and physical struggles that lie ahead for him are bad enough - I don’t want him to worry about bills, too.

If you’ve ever enjoyed some of the great content Chase Curtis puts out there, please consider chipping in for our guy.

Thanks for reading.

UPDATE 2/25

Chase had a successful surgery. They fixed his broken tibia with a rod and a plate. The fibula was set and should heal naturally. The surgeon removed about half of his old hardware - what he left was bent and had stripped screws. They straightened the bent hardware as best they could. I told Chase that this could be a painful and expensive fix for the previous botched surgery and he hopes so as well.  The surgeon is very concerned about compartment syndrome developing as he had to make a ton of incisions to get the old hardware out and also to insert new stuff. Chase is being advised to stay local for three weeks so he is nearby should swelling flare up. He should be discharged in a few days but the family will need to get an air bnb. I plan to head to Texas shortly after returning from Japan. Thanks for your support and messages.