Originally appeared on E! Online
More information has come to light about Aidan Zingg’s tragic death.
Just over two weeks after the motocross racer died at the age of 16 following a mid-race accident, his mother Shari Zingg told USA Today that Aidan’s official cause of death was cardiac tamponade.
The condition, per the Cleveland Clinic, occurs when the fluid sac around the heart fills with too much liquid, making it difficult for the organ to properly pump blood. If not treated in a timely manner — often through surgery or by removing the liquid with a needle — the condition can be fatal.
According to USA Today, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office is conducting Zingg’s autopsy, while PIO Sarah Roberts told the outlet they didn’t have information to release, adding, “The family has the same if not more information, then we have.”
E! News reached out to the Sherriff’s Office for comment but has not yet heard back.
READ Motocross Racer Aidan Zingg Dead at 16 After Mid-Race Accident
Zingg’s accident occurred during a race in Mammoth Lakes, California, on June 28. According to motocross site Dirtbikelover, Zingg “went down in a corner” during the race and was “reportedly run over by multiple bikes and remained unconscious on the track for two laps before the race was red flagged.” The outlet noted it didn’t appear he was involved in a mid-air collision.
Following the young athlete’s untimely passing, a number of people in the motocross community shared their grief, including journalist Donn Maeda, calling Zingg “one of those kids that made an impression on you from the moment you met him.”
“I interviewed him for our race series years ago,” Maeda added in his June 28 post, “and when I asked him how long it’d be until he beat his dad, he smirked and said, ‘Soon, I’m sure.’ After that, he always went out of his way to say hello, even recently when he grew into a fast big bike rider…you know; the age when teens get cocky and cool. Not Aidan.”
Adding well wishes to Zingg’s family, Donn added, “Rest easy, buddy.”
Aidan’s sister Alexandria Zingg shared a heartbreaking tribute to her late brother.
“It’s been a day and I feel like it’s been a lifetime,” the 18-year-old wrote on Instagram June 29. “My heart is completely broken. You used to joke that I was so old and that I’d die first, I would always joke that you were crazy and you’d be the first. Now I’m sitting here wishing with everything that I am that you were right so I’d never have to live a day without you.”
Alexandria continued, “I have no idea what today, tomorrow, or the rest of my life looks like without you in it. I had everything planned. God had a different plan. I’ll forever find myself longing for that last hug, that last I love you that I never got. You are a light. The vibrancy to every color in my world.”
