Nothing Tragic About This Amputee, Determined To Win At SM1 This April

Tragedies are very rarely preceded by a truly terrible foreshadowing of events that are about to come. No, when confronted with sudden disaster, we often focus on how unremarkable or ordinary the circumstances were in which the unthinkable happened.

 

Learn a few lessons from someone with an unfortunate disposition who doesn’t let it get in his way.

(Image: Ride Apart / Courtesy or Remington Bloch)

 

Such is the start to the story of Remington Bloch’s ‘dismemberment’.

Because what started out as a “sunny South Florida day” for Remington Bloch ended as anything but.

“Everyday people get up not expecting to be the day that changes their life forever, or their last day on earth even. Such a normal light day can switch to a bad one and it does often,” said Bloch.

It was June 20, 2016 and Bloch’s day off from pilot school.

“I was enjoying it by working on a new bike I hadn't picked up long ago from a friend,” he recounted. “A Suzuki DR650 dirt bike with street tires and rims, usually called a ’Supermoto'.”

Nothing unusual yet in Bloch’s day, he was invited by a friend to have lunch and so, of course, he agreed to meet up. Opting for his recently acquired Supermoto, he drove to his friend’s house where a group of his other friends piled into a car and followed Bloch who was ahead.

Just as Bloch passed through an intersection on Florida’s Dixie Highway, the same intersection he crossed on his way to his buddy’s house, he was broadsided by a car with an impact so great he was thrown several feet into the air and across three lanes of traffic.

Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.

Bloch recalled the exact moment his body hit the ground, saying, “I recognized the feeling of impact from falling so many times before, but this time was different, a car had hit me.

 “My pelvis felt as though it was shattered, it was ringing numbly, then I felt the pain in my ankle, I was sure it was bruised quite badly, possibly even broken. By this point my friends had surrounded me and are just saying ‘Oh my god’ over and over. The burning sensation in my ankle is unbearable at this point. I reach down to grip my ankle and am puzzled, my foot is no longer there. In its place a stump of shredded flesh and bleach white bone sticking out. The remnants of what was once my foot are now hanging by my own Achilles tendon, swinging with each minute movement."

 

He spent only a short week in the hospital before going home and re-learning how to get back on his feet, one of which was now a prosthetic. But he did not let this bring him down, though, as real strong people never do.

Tragedies separate the strong and weak-willed. In reaction to an event which caused great suffering, the strong-willed will rise with confidence of regaining, or even surpassing, what they have lost.
 

 

Remington Bloch, then, is a truly strong-willed person as not long after what he calls his ‘dismemberment’, he was back on a bike straight away. With a newfound fervor Bloch pushed his limits and raised awareness on the amputee and disabled athletic community.

The Floridian has long since started ‘Traumatically Altered’, a company that sells T-shirts and aims to raise funds for disabled athletes.

This year, Bloch can be expected to be seen on the AMA national circuit as he will be competing in the SM1 Class in the US and Canada. Just look for the number ‘999’ to find him. The season kicks off in April and runs through October 2018.

Racing is not cheap, however, which is why Bloch has set up a GoFundMe page. He is hoping to raise $40k to help pay for fuel, food, insurance, repairs, and more.