Daredevil's Stunt Crashing Success

While the monster trucks and mud racers held center stage at the Kingdome last night, the stunt of the night belonged to Brian Carson.

Carson doesn't drive a monster truck. He doesn't race through mud. Carson drives his car up a ramp, into a pile of exploding stacked cars before crashing onto even more cars.

It's a stunt Carson, 33, has done before and will do again. Never mind that he has suffered 50 broken bones and has metal plates holding his legs and arms together.

Carson is a daredevil. Flying through the air in a car is what he does.

``It's funny, because I look back and remember I one wanted to be a hockey player,'' Carson said last night.

But during a jump 17 years ago, Carson broke both ankles in five places and his hockey days were over. However, he keeps jumping vehicles.

Carson started when he was 13, leading the people of the Joey Chitwood stunt show into believing he was 16.

He drove both cars and motorcycles, jumping over anything people asked him to.

Carson eventually moved on to other shows and did his own thing, having appeared in 18 films as a stunt driver - including ``Smokey and the Bandit III'' and ``Stand by Me.''

Stunts are fine and sometimes lucrative, Carson said, but driving in shows like last night in the Kingdome provides the real action.

The impact of his jumps usually cause injuries. Six years ago in Kansas, Carson's car began falling apart during the jump. The engine was forced into the front of the car and Carson broke his back, nose and right arm in eight places.

``I'm real concerned every time I step in the car,'' Carson said. ``If anybody in this business says they're not afraid, they're lying.''

He keeps coming back for more. Carson says before he quits jumping in a year or so, he has one penultimate stunt left.

Carson said he will drive a new Mercedes off an 18-story building as part of a promotion. He said he will receive $1.2 million for the stunt. Speed at impact: 138 mph.

``That'll be the last one,'' Carson said. ``It should be a wild ride.''

Carson was not the only daredevil at last night's U.S. Hot Rod Association show.

Ernie Adams sailed 132 feet on his motorcycle, before skidding to a stop in a pile of cardboard boxes.