Pro Skier and 7 Year Two Plank Athlete -

-Sunday September 30, 2007, (Fairplay, CO) At approximately 2:50 PM MT, Pro telemark skier Max Mancini was traveling with his girlfriend, Molly Jackson, southbound from the Denver area to their home in Crested Butte on US 285. On their way home, they were involved in a horrific car accident with at least two other vehicles at highway speeds in opposing directions.

According to those close to the family and confirmed by Colorado State Patrol Officers, tragically, Molly did not survive the accident; of which we all deeply regret. Additionally, Mancini was found by first responders unconscious, and was later determined to have a skull fracture and suffered broken ribs.

All friends and family of Max and Molly are deeply hit by the tragedy. All of our most sincere thoughts and prayers go out to the Mancini’s and Jackson’s.

Two Life Flight helicopters were landed directly at the scene as officers closed the highway for 2 hours. In all, three individuals were flown directly to St. Anthony’s central in Denver, and two were taken to area hospitals.

About 1 mile north from an area known as Como (on a notoriously dangerous section of highway through the Fairplay/Southpark Valley) Mancini and Jackson’s BMW came into contact with a Lexus SUV, and collided with a Toyota Tacoma which appeared to hit the right front side of the BMW.

According to the Colorado State Patrol:
“At 2:50 p.m. on Sunday, a black BMW traveling southbound on 285 crossed over into the opposite lane and collided with a northbound Lexus LX300, causing the Lexus to go off the road and roll two times. The BMW began to rotate and collided its right side with a red Toyota Tacoma heading northbound. The BMW rotated clockwise a quarter turn and came to rest on its wheels facing west. The Toyota rotated a quarter turn clockwise, rolled a quarter roll, and came to rest on its left side.

The passenger in the BMW died at the scene. Helicopters flew three people and two people were taken by ambulance to area hospitals with moderate to serious injuries. Alcohol and drugs are not suspected.”

-The news of a crash first broke to the crew while in Denver immediately after the accident, a mutual friend returning home as well, reported that it was possibly the worst crash they had ever seen. Unknowing who was involved, they allowed the scene to local emergency responders flocking from virtually every direction, including the sky, to attempt to aid Mancini and Jackson; as well as several others involved. Using state of the art hydraulic rescue tools, firefighter and rescue workers freed the victims from the vehicles and transferred them to EMS officials.

Mancini, appearing in our first DVD movie “The Next Episode” has been a huge supporter of our efforts, and often combined forces along with his telemark film company, Falling Forward Films. Mancini has always been a shining light whenever present, and Jackson was supreme companion for our friend.

Max is recovering in a Denver ICU, and is making progress. Only 2 days after the accident, his physical therapists were able to get him walking around. As he spends much time resting and recovering, family and friends note that all thoughts are very appreciated.

Again we want to send our best to both families and all effected from the accident. More information on this story, as well as Max’s progress, will become available as soon as possible.

You are able to send all thoughts and messages to
TwoPlank Info - Email and we will pass everything along in due time

This entry was posted on Friday, October 5th, 2007 at 12:10 am and is filed under TwoPlank Blog & News Archive.