Most spectacular crash caught on camera ... OZ skater's helmet bounces off, flips three times, then walks out of hospital still in his gown to get back up the mountain LOL

Blog by Rachel Syers

Everyone at the IGSA World Championships on Saturday (Nov 28) is in disbelief over what can only be described as arguably one of the world's craziest escapes in downhill skateboarding.

Here's a crazy 24 hours for the Gold Coast's Steve Daddow, who had everyone at the track fully freakin when he stacked so hard down the mountain that his helmet bounced off mid-backflip, leaving his head to hit the bitumen as he rolled before stopping.

Stunning pics show Daddow flipping three times with no helmet down the famous Mt Panorama track in Bathurst, Australia - usually reserved for racing cars.

ABOVE: Steve Daddow's helmet flies off as he stacks, with fellow Gold Coaster Adam Yates watching on. PIC: Courtesy of Alex Lyngaas/Dampling Productions.

BELOW: Daddow keeps flipping, such was his speed, with no protection for his head, but if anyone knows how to fall, it's Steve, whose dayjob is a professional stuntman. PIC: Courtesy of Alex Lyngaas/Dampling Productions.

BELOW: Steve Daddow is helpless as gravity keeps him flipping with no helmet down the Mt Panorama race track, as his mate and fellow Gold Coast rider Adam Yates keeps sliding. PIC: Courtesy of Alex Lyngaas/Dampling Productions.

The irony is that it was the end of a very long day for Daddow, whose day job is a professional stunt man, and he was leading fellow Coasters Adam Yates and Austin Nitsua with several other riders doing a run down Mt Panorama for the media, following a photographer on the back of a scooter ahead.

But it went haywire at The Dipper part of the track and witnesses say Daddow came a gutsa hard.
"I've never seen him do a backflip up until today, and he managed somehow to get up straight away to get out of the way of the other riders coming towards him, but then he collapsed again and went unconscious."

Daddow was hauled off in an ambulance and that was the last we heard for a few hours.

ABOVE AND BELOW: Steve Daddow is treated by ambos on the Mt Panorama track.

Pics: Mitchell - Boardshop Australia
There was plenty of speculation that the talented rider wouldn't make it for the final tmoz, despite all his efforts to get to Bathurst - he was working on the new Narnia movie as a stuntman on the first day of qualifying, back on the Gold Coast, but managed to fly into Bathurst at 1am Saturday morning - and went straight to the skaters camp site for a coupla beers before bedding down at 4am.
He still managed to ride the 1.3km track fast enough to qualify in the second and final heat in 63.996 seconds ranked at number 8.
But back at the local hospital, Daddow wasn't going to let a stellar stack lay him down, and after a while of waiting for doctors to give him the all clear, decided to walk out.
Word is he rocked up at the camp site still in his hospital gown late tonight, telling all it was the best fun he's had in ages. Classic. Gotta love the Aussie Downhill team - they just keep getting back up again ...

Can you believe it? Steve Daddow (front right) back at the skateboarders camp on top of Mt Panorama watching a video replay of his crazy escape (with Adam Yates far right), still wearing the white gown he was wearing when he left the hospital after being frustrated with how long it was taking doctors to give him the all clear. He's gotta race in about 12hrs dammit! PIC: Courtesy of Alex Lyngaas/Dampling Productions.

Tags: Australia, Daddow, IGSA, Mt Panorama, Rachel, Steve, Syers