DENVER -- Caleb Moore was a Texas kid drawn to the snow, rehearsing complicated tricks on a snowmobile into a foam pit back home until they became second nature and ready for the mountains.
With his younger brother following along and constantly pushing him, Moore became a rising talent in action sports.The innovative freestyle snowmobile rider, who was hurt in a crash at the Winter X Games in Colorado, died Thursday morning. He was 25.Moore, from Krum, had been undergoing care at a hospital in Grand Junction since the Jan. 24 crash. Family spokeswoman Chelsea Lawson confirmed his death, the first in the 18-year history of the X Games.A former all-terrain vehicle racer, Moore switched to snowmobiles as a teenager and quickly rose to the top of the sport. He won four Winter X Games medals, including a bronze last season when his younger brother, Colten, captured gold.Caleb Moore was attempting a backflip in the freestyle event in Aspen last week when the skis on his 450-pound snowmobile caught the lip of the landing area, sending him flying over the handlebars. Moore landed face first into the snow with his snowmobile rolling over him.Moore stayed down for quite some time, before walking off with help and going to a hospital to treat a concussion. Moore developed bleeding around his heart and was flown to a hospital in Grand Junction for surgery. The family later said that Moore also had a complication involving his brain.Colten Moore was injured in a separate crash that same night, suffering a separated pelvis.Moore honed his skills in Krum, a town outside of Denton that rarely sees snow. Instead, he worked on tricks by launching his sled into a foam pit. After a brief training run on snow ramps in Michigan, he was ready for his sport's biggest stage -- the 2010 Winter X Games.In that contest, Moore captured a bronze in freestyle and finished sixth in best trick.X Games officials said they would conduct a review of freestyle snowmobiling events and adopt any appropriate changes.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
