A day prior to the crash that has landed BMX star TJ Lavin in a coma, a close friend of the racer was hospitalized following his own accident.
In an interview with People, fellow professional rider Ryan Nyquist says Lavin was “tweaked” before his ride on Saturday night due to the condition of Ty Pinney, who also crashed during a run in Las Vegas and now lies just five hospital beds away from Lavin.
“It definitely messes with you,” Nyquist said of Pinney’s incident. “I’ve had friends go down hard and you just think about it. It hits so close to home because that could be you… I feel like that was really one [TJ’s] mind when he competed. It can’t not affect you.”
What kind of shape is Lavin in? Nyquist says he remains unconscious, with a breathing tube down his throat, but “TJ’s a pretty strong dude and he’ll pull out of it just fine. It’s going to take a little while.”
“Whatever TJ needs, BMX is going to support him,” Nyquist said. “That’s the way it’s always been. It’s always been one big family. We know that injuries happen and we know how much it hurts, so basically whatever TJ needs he’ll get it from us.”