Known for her work on Mythbusters, Break Room, Overhaulin’, and All Girls Garage, Jessi Combs sadly passed away last week.
In 2013, Combs was crowned “the fastest woman on four wheels” after she set a record of 398 mph in her jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger.
The automotive legend was trained in fabrication and hot-rod building at WyoTech, making a career in hosting, building, and being a technical expert on shows like Xtreme 4×4, Overhaulin’, Truck U, and Two Guys Garage. She then starred in Velocity channel’s All Girls Garage and was a host and builder on Discovery Channel’s popular show Mythbusters.
Combs also competed in a variety of racing events. She became the first woman to place at Ultra4’s King of the Hammers, and performed very well in every race she entered including the Baja 1000, Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, and was the very first woman to race in The Race of Gentlemen.
While attempting to beat her land speed record of 398mph on Tuesday (August 27), she crashed her vehicle in the Alvard Desert, which is roughly 90 miles south of Burns, Oregon – a place she so often drove. According to ABC 7, “The Harney County Sheriff’s Office said it was called to a scene of a fatal crash. [She] was identified as the sole fatality connected to the accident.”
Her boyfriend, Terry Madden, confirmed her passing on Instagram last Wednesday.
“So I don’t know how to say any of this but it all needs said. I have never loved or been loved by anyone as much as this amazing woman @thejessicombs she was truly my unicorn and I enjoyed every single minute that I had with her,” he wrote accompanying a video collage of her. “She was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know. Unfortunately we lost her yesterday in a horrific accident, I was the first one there and trust me we did everything humanly possible to save her!!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1tUB2lHGKX/?utm_source=ig_embed
The New York Post reported that police officers are attempting to recover laptop computers which were in the vehicle to try to determine what went wrong. Lt. Brian Needham of the Harney County Sheriff’s Office wasn’t able to say if her vehicle hit something, but did say, “there was a fire involved.”
Almost a week after her crash, TMZ obtained and released footage from her final ride, just before the crash that took her life. You can see in the video below that she was traveling at an incredible speed. During this record-breaking attempt, she showed no signs of trouble for over a minute. Shortly after this video stopped recording, she crashed.
You can see photos of her North American Eagle completely destroyed following the crash here.
Watch the video below.