The latest news on Doctor Danger (July 6):

Intestines? Who needs ‘em? Despite losing about 2/3 of his in surgery after a car stunt gone bad, Doc Danger is on the mend and ready to work.

“People get hurt on the job every day. This was my day.”

It was during his latest suicide car jump: The car he was driving, a little too fast, crashed into the stack of cars as planned, but then flew past its mark and fell 80 feet to the ground. Unfortunately, on the landing his body slid beneath his seatbelt in a way that severely damaged his insides. As the strap dug into him, “I felt more pain than I ever had in my life,” he recalls. Fortunately, a surgical team was able to put him back together, but first they had to remove a large section of his intestines. “I’m still learning how my new body works—some things just don’t go through me the way they used to,” he says. “But I’ve had my whisky drink, and so far so good.”

Doc says he’s overwhelmed by the response to his accident from family, friends, fans, and strangers. “You go through life thinking people don’t give a damn, but they do, in a big way. It’s an amazing thing.”

Though he’ll hand over the keys to the suicide jump car, at least for now, “I’ll go right back to doing my fire stunts,” he says. “I’m disappointed—I like crashing the car. You’re never quite as alive as when you’re near death.” But it’s time to heal, and maybe time to put other priorities on top, he says. Meanwhile, if you’re lucky, he might just show you his scar.

—Jennifer S. Holland

(A June 26 update from photographer Joel Sartore:)

Of all the characters I met while doing State Fairs last summer, none impressed me more than Greg Carpenter, aka "Dr. Danger". One of the last of the true daredevils, Greg makes his living going from town to town and doing death-defying feats at public venues. At the Iowa State Fair, Dr. Danger not only lit himself on fire, but also jumped a car through a wall of flame, crashing into a stack of cars on the other side. Sound dangerous? It is.

Last Saturday the risks caught up with him when a car jump went terribly wrong in Abilene, Texas. The vehicle he was driving made it to the pile of cars that absorb the energy from his jump, but then his car literally fell sideways off the pile, landing on the driver's side and putting Greg in very serious condition at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene.

Not only does Greg need your thoughts and prayers, he could also use your money. As a professional daredevil, he cannot get health insurance.

Any donations would be appreciated. Please send them to:

Greg Carpenter, AKA Dr. Danger
c/o Ads In Gear
P.O. Box 684608
Austin, TX 78768

—Joel Sartore

Gregory “Dr. Danger” Carpenter has a knack for surviving fiery car crashes. Sometimes he defies death three times per week. He even gets paid for it. (See related story: "Garrison Keillor Takes in the State Fair.")

Take the “suicide car jump.” Zooming up a ramp through a ball of flames, he aims his vehicle dead ahead, flies through the air at some 60 miles per hour, and plows into a stack of junkyard cars 50 feet away—with just a seatbelt and helmet as safety gear. “It only gets sticky if the car flips upside-down and traps me,” he says. “I’m not someone who likes to be restrained.”

Twenty years, 1,000 aerobatics, and scores of injuries into his stunt-man career, the 47-year-old Texan—also known for being set ablaze—is a screamer of a crowd pleaser at fairs around the country. But what draws this father of four to daredevildom? “Some of us are just wired differently,” he says. “We have to keep proving that we can conquer anything. I like to look for my limits, then push myself over that edge.” Broken ribs, a cracked eye socket, a dislocated elbow, multiple burns—no injury slows him down for long. His crew has even kidnapped him from the hospital to go back to work. “If I weren’t doing this, I’d be a mercenary or something,” he says. “It’s more than just the adrenaline for me. It’s a survival thing.”

Danger also loves running his business (and drinking whisky), but daily life gets boring when he’s not doing stunts, he admits. “Of course, I’m not a complete bad ass—I’m scared every time.” (He should be—he’s uninsured.) But the rush is worth the risk. “The closer I get to not being here anymore,” Danger says, “the more passion I have for life.”

—Jennifer S. Holland


"Dr. Danger" waits for firefighters to hose him down at the Iowa State Fair. Read more.

Photos and animation: Joel Sartore

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