A few years ago I was riding with group mates at Smithies in Cairns.
Amoung the group was a noob, a big strapping A type personality built like an AFL forward, super fit, just not an MTBer.
We came to the drop now known as Rodea drop on the world XC course. back then it was a vertical drop of 2 meters+ with a small transition at the bottom unlike the drop/roll off it is now. After getting some brief instruction said noob rolled off it only to have his weight to far rear ward so he looped out and landed on his back as he hit the transition. Nothing hurt except his pride.
A couple of weeks later the same group was riding the same loop. I must confess to not riding off that drop anymore at the time, quite frankly I did not like the feeling of dropping head down vertically before the transition so I took the B line.
As I head to the B line I see riders 1 and 2 drop off the edge and just catch the noob out of the corner of my eye as he heads off. A split second later follows a very nasty thump followed by cries of "oh shit"
When I get there noob is lying on his side barely conscious with his helmet split clean in half holding his neck.
This time he has had his weight to far forward and pole driven vertically head first in to the ground from 3.5 meters doing 20 kph
After he catches his breath he claims he is ok and just needs to rest and tells us to go on with the ride. He is clearly not ok. I offer to get my 4x4 in to pull him out, he refuses. We compromise and walk him back to the car park. By the time we get there he is barely conscious, in shock and just managing to shuffle every few steps before stopping.
His girlfriend comes out to take him home.
Two days later my mate rings to say he is in hospital with 9!! Yes 9 neck fractures.
Scary shit, still brings goose bumps thinking how close he came to death or paraplegia.
Our wives/girlfriends gave us shit for letting him walk out, and in retrospect it was wrong.
however, the guy who crashed was an emergency medicine specialist at Cairns Base hospital and one of the other riders was also a doctor. My self ( a cabinetmaker) and my mate (a chippie) hardly felt we could contradict them.
He made a full recovery but ever since I have never ever tried to encourage any rider with me to attempt anything they remotely baulk at.