While attempting to beat her land speed record of 398mph on August 27, automotive legend Jessi Combs crashed her vehicle in the Alvard Desert, which is roughly 90 miles south of Burns, Oregon – a place she so often drove.
According to ABC 7, “The Harney County Sheriff’s Office said it was called to a scene of a fatal crash. [She] was identified as the sole fatality connected to the accident.”
Her boyfriend, Terry Madden, confirmed her passing on Instagram the next morning.
“So I don’t know how to say any of this but it all needs said. I have never loved or been loved by anyone as much as this amazing woman @thejessicombs she was truly my unicorn and I enjoyed every single minute that I had with her,” he wrote accompanying a video collage of her. “She was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know. Unfortunately we lost her yesterday in a horrific accident, I was the first one there and trust me we did everything humanly possible to save her!!”
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Combs was known for her work on Mythbusters, Break Room, Overhaulin’, and All Girls Garage. She was also was crowned “the fastest woman on four wheels” in 2013 after she set a record of 398 mph in her jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger.
The automotive legend was trained in fabrication and hot-rod building at WyoTech, making a career in hosting, building, and being a technical expert on shows like Xtreme 4×4, Overhaulin’, Truck U, and Two Guys Garage. She then starred in Velocity channel’s All Girls Garage and was a host and builder on Discovery Channel’s popular show Mythbusters.
The cause of her crash has been under investigation and finally, over two months later, the results were revealed.
According to Fox News, The Harney County Sheriff’s Office said that “an examination of the wreckage has led investigators and Combs’ team to conclude that the front wheel of the vehicle suffered a failure, likely from striking an object on the dry lake bed at approximately 550 mph.”
Combs died immediately from blunt force trauma to her head just before her car caught on fire.