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U Doctor Helps Pro Superbike Racer Get Back On His Bike

Superbike racer Shane Turpin normally rides his production-based sport bike on a smooth asphalt track, but in February 2010, he went to a Tooele motocross track with some friends for a fun afternoon spent riding dirtbikes. When he took a jump and landed badly, the result was a freak accident that left him with broken legs and crushed ankles. “I didn’t jump far enough and landed on the frame of the motorcycle,” says Turpin.

Doctors who first saw Turpin after his accident gave him grim news: he would never walk again or compete as a professional superbike racer. “The doctor said ‘I’m sorry. I can’t do anything for you.’” But Turpin wasn’t ready to wave the white flag.

He was transported to two other hospitals before going to University of Utah Health. “I didn’t want another lecture,” he says. “I wanted them to fix me. I told them to take me up to U of U Health.” When Turpin arrived at University of Utah Hospital he met the first doctor who offered him a ray of hope. “He showed interest. He said he would have me on a motorcycle in no time. Just that .

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