Aidan Zingg’s official cause of death has been revealed after the rising teenage motocross star was killed during a mid-race crash in early summer.
The 16-year-old California native suffered a traumatic heart injury, according to a coroner’s report first published by TMZ on Monday.
Zingg died as a result of the injuries he suffered in a mid-race crash on June 28 while competing at Mammoth Mountain MX.
According to TMZ, Zingg was found “face down” by medics after the crash and “unresponsive with no pulse and not breathing.”
The report noted that first responders administered life-saving measures, including an AED and CPR, but they were unable to revive the teen rider.
An autopsy officially revealed Zingg’s cause of death as “cardiac tamponade hemopericardium due to a dirt bike accident.”
According to the National Library of Medicine, cardiac tamponade is a “medical emergency that takes place when abnormal amounts of fluid accumulate in the pericardial sac, compressing the heart and leading to a decrease in cardiac output and shock.”
Myron Short, the founder of race organizer 2X Promotions, told the Daily Mail that Zingg died from chest injuries sustained in a crash involving another driver.
He added that despite the crash occurring near the front of his race, initial reports that Zingg had been run over by other riders were false.
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Zingg had recently qualified for the AMA Amateur Motocross National Championship for the seventh straight year and was the reigning champion in the Supermini 2 class for ages 13-16.
He also had signed with Team Green Kawasaki for the 2025 racing season.
Zingg’s sister, Alexandria, posted a touching tribute to her late brother on Instagram after his death.
“The things I could say. The stories I could tell. It’s been a day and I feel like it’s been a lifetime. My heart is completely broken,” she wrote, along with several pictures of herself with Aidan.
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“You used to joke that I was so old and that I’d die first, I would always joke that you were crazy and you’d be the first. Now I’m sitting here wishing with everything that I am that you were right so I’d never have to live a day without you.
“I will forever see you in everything I do. Every time I step into the show pen it will be for you. I will work twice as hard, be twice as good, shine twice as bright, and it will never fill the space you’ve left but I will do my best to pick up where you left off.”