‘Mythbusters’: What to Remember About Jessi Combs’ Tragic Death

Monday marked a sad day for Mythbusters fans as a Discovery spokesperson confirmed that Grant Imahara suffered a brain aneurysm and died with little warning. This incident prompted multitudes of responses from passionate fans, especially as they realized that Imahara’s death took place nearly one year after Mythbusters’ alum Jessi Combs died in the Alvord Desert in Oregon. She died on Aug. 27, 2019, in a jet-powered car accident.

With Imahara dying just before the first anniversary of Combs’ passing, fans are revisiting the tragic incident from 2019. They asked questions about how Combs died and why she was in the Oregon desert. Others wanted to know what ultimately caused the fatal crash. Here’s everything to remember about the tragic day.

Early Success

TMZ initially obtained video of Combs’ land-speed record attempt taken before her fatal crash. The footage showed the jet-powered racer traveling at incredibly high speeds for over a minute and observing no signs of trouble. The video ended with the person filming the attempt panning to show the massive trail of dust.

Land Speed Record

The reason why Combs was in the Oregon desert was a third attempt to break her own land speed record. She previously set a new women’s land speed class record in 2013, reaching 398 mph. She broke this record in 2016 after reaching 483.2 mph, earning the title of the “Fastest Woman on Four Wheels.” Her death in 2019 came during a third attempt to set a new record.

Cause of Accident

When Combs crashed in 2019, the Harney County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation. The cause of the crash was initially unclear, but the office later released its findings.  Authorities said that the front wheel assembly collapsed, likely due to hitting an object in her race across the desert. She was traveling around 550 mph at the time.

Cause of Death

In addition to revealing the cause of the August crash, the Harney County Sheriff’s Office also provided a cause of death. Authorities said that Combs died from “blunt force trauma” to the head. The car went up in flames after the impact, but the medical experts said that she did not experience this.

Posthumous Record

Combs had the intention of setting a new land speed record in August 2019. She ultimately achieved this goal prior to the fatal crash. The Guinness Book of World Records posthumously awarded the record after she reached 522.783 mph in her custom-built jet-powered car.

Film Dedication

Prior to her death in 2019, Combs worked on a feature film called Interviewing Monsters and Bigfoot. This movie, also starring Tom Green, Stacy Brown Jr. and Les Stroud, focused on two men hunting the mythical creature while dealing with a forest ranger, a government agency and a serial hoaxer. Combs had a long, dialogue-filled scene in which she drove a car with police in pursuit. The film released in September 2019, and director Thomas Smugala dedicated it to her memory.

Previous Near-Death Experience

Prior to her death in 2019, Combs nearly lost her life in another frightening incident. Back in 2007, Combs was on the Spike TV show, Xtreme 4×4. A large piece of machinery fell on her and reportedly “folded her in two,” breaking her spine’s L3. The injury required surgery, as well as eight months of physical therapy.