In 1999 he suffered a broken right leg, shoulder, and left wrist, when
he crashed his Repsol Honda at 200+km/h at Jerez, Spain. He was
immediately brought to the U.S. after the accident for corrective
surgery which included inserting two plates and 12 screws in his right
leg, and a plate in his left forearm. Toward the end of the year he
announced his retirement due to injuries from his crash