Kris Horn was very lucky he didn’t get hurt.
American bobsledder Kris Horn endured a scary ride down St. Moritz, Switzerland, on the weekend. He had to do it all by himself after three teammates botched their jump at the start of a World Cup race.
Horn got in first, being the driver. However, Ryan Rager, Hunter Powell and Caleb Furnell all experienced difficulty, eventually falling. He had no choice but to continue on his own.
While he made it into the driver’s seat and had control of the sled, there was no extra weight on board, plus no one was around to pull the brakes at the bottom.
Ryan was the first to fall out before Powell was thrown against the track wall, hitting his back. This all resulted in Furnell missing his spot.
Fortunately, none of them suffered serious injuries, and all x-rays came back negative.
Powell told the Associated Press he felt “A little sore.”
“I should be fine in a couple days,” he added.
You can see the incident in the video below:
Ryan Horn’s Experience Likely Averted What Could Have Been An American Bobsled Catastrophe
Horn went down the track without the extra weight on the sled but still reached a speed of around 75mph. He scooted backward to pull the brake handles after crossing the finish line.
Coaches and other competitors from all the nations involved rushed to him to ensure he was okay once he halted.
Horn was lucky in that he began his bobsledding career as a brakeman, so he knew how to bring the sled to a stop.
The miscue punctuated a series of unfortunate events for Horn, who exited the two-man World Cup race the day before. Carsten Vissering, his brakeman for that race, suffered abrasions and was unable to participate on Sunday.
Rager filled in for Vissering, but it didn’t quite work out.
