I was looking through old videos of Danny Magoo Chandler who just passed away this last week at Age 50. The crash where he was paralyzed from the 1985 french supercross were pretty shocking to me. He wasn't going all that fast.
The race had actually ended and he was crossing the finish line. He did a little jump showoff for a photographer - pancaking his bike he pulled it back to almost straight to land and then went off the track to his left. In an interview he said that the photographers flash temporarily blinded him. Hit a haybale and went over the bars - landed head first and rolled forward. Seemed really slow.
I can only imagine what his career would have been like if this wouldn't have happened. He was known as not the best rider - but definitely the fastest of his era - when he was "on" and didn't crash - he would simply walk away from the field.
Paralyzed at age 25 in a slow speed get off. He advocated the user of "neck rolls" e.g. leatt brace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCq4R...1&feature=fvwp
Here is a video of highlights of him winning the 1982 "superbikers" competition - what was to become supermoto...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUEyWgyQOKg
Jeff