Daredevil to miss Vegas stunt
December 29, 2007 - 10:00 pm
IRVINE, Calif. -- An Orange County daredevil was hurt while practicing a back flip in his off-road truck for a New Year's Eve stunt in Las Vegas.
The truck landed upside down on concrete after the failed attempt at the old El Toro military base in Irvine on Dec. 22.
Stunt driver Rhys Millen, 35, was hospitalized with neck and back injuries and has now returned to his San Juan Capistrano home.
Millen was training to be the first person to complete a back flip off a ramp in an off-road racing truck. He was planning on making the record run for ESPN's live broadcast of the "Red Bull Experiment" from the Rio.
Millen says he successfully landed the 360-degree back flip three times into cardboard boxes before the final training jump ended with the crash. He says he's disappointed he won't be able to perform the trick on New Year's Eve as planned, but "happy that I will be able to walk again."