Motocross Hall Of Famer Marty Smith & Wife Killed In Dune Buggy Accident

Marty Smith / Facebook

It is a sad day in the motocross world.

Three-time AMA National Motocross champion Marty Smith and his wife Nancy were both killed in a dune buggy rollover accident.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2203813116328592&set=pb.100000997750259.-2207520000..&type=3&theater

Marty burst onto the motocross scene in 1974 when he won back-to-back AMA 125cc National Motocross Championships. He won countless other races before retiring in 1981 and was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2203813042995266&set=pb.100000997750259.-2207520000..&type=3&theater

Marty’s close friend Lee Ramage confirmed Marty and Nancy’s deaths on Facebook Tuesday (April 28).  Lee and his wife Tammi were also in the dune buggy and were not injured in the accident.

Lee wrote, “It’s with the heaviest, grieving heart that I have to tell you Marty and Nancy Smith we’re killed yesterday in a rollover accident in his dune buggy at the imperial sand dunes. This is a photo of Marty and Nancy’s last few hours.”

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10219747639934669&set=a.10203540703531388&type=3&theater

Lee explained that he and Tammi were performing life saving measures on Marty and Nancy for an hour while waiting for paramedics to arrive on the scene.

“Marty took his last breath while I was holding his head, keeping his airway clear,” he wrote. 

While Marty was pronounced dead on the scene, Nancy was airlifted to a local hospital, where she passed away from her injuries.

Marty and Nancy – who had been married for 40 years – are survived by their kids Jillyin, Brooke and Tyler, and their grandchildren.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2285307491512487&set=pb.100000997750259.-2207520000..&type=3&theater

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.