While getting prepared for surgeries related to his Arlington Monster Energy Supercross crash, an MRI revealed a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) for Austin Forkner. He underwent brain surgery last week and will not return to racing in 2024.
Forkner expects to get back on his bike in September to prepare for competition in 2025. Prior to the brain surgery, Forkner intended to return to the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team before the end of the Motocross season.
“I’m fine from my crash from Dallas,” Forkner said in an Instagram post. “Shoulder’s good, back is good, everything from the Dallas crash is good.”
Forkner has known about the AVM because of a previous brain bleed in 2020. AVMs can cause strokes or aneurysms and after they first start bleeding, the danger increases exponentially by the year.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the cause of AVMs is not clear and is described as “a tangle of blood vessels that irregularly connects arteries and veins, disrupting blood flow and oxygen circulation.”
After treatment, the risk of further complications is significantly reduced.
“At first, I thought I was fine,” Forkner said. “I was getting better and planned on racing outdoors. Would I have been 100 percent? Probably not because I would have had only a couple of weeks on the bike, but I would have had a bike on the track. ... This doctor is pretty set that I will be able to ride in three months; I’m fine for next year.”
Forkner won the 250 East season opener in Detroit and was leading the race in Arlington, Texas when he violently crashed after losing a contact lens.
As extreme as the accident was, Forkner walked out of the hospital that night hand-in-hand with his wife.
“In hindsight, looking back on it, they say everything happens for a reason,” Forkner said. “Who knows; maybe I had that crash in Dallas so I would get scans on my brain done, and maybe if that hadn’t happened, I could have had a stroke and died.”
Rylee Forkner posted a reel on Instagram with scenes from his day in surgery, saying “When you think of strength, adversity, grit, resilience, a faith-filled man… I hope you think of my husband. True testimony for never giving up, and always trusting the Man above.
“Austin asked me to document this to share with you all.”
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