A runaway dump truck nearly ran over New Hampshire International Speedway Motorcycle Safety Director Jerry Wood last Wednesday, but AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin was not involved.

According to Wood, who is currently on crutches after blowing out a knee while trail-riding with one of his sons, he was working on his property in Maine when the dump truck’s parking brake failed and the truck rolled forward unexpectedly.

Wood, who was standing in front of the running dump truck, managed to jump mostly out of the way with his crutches but was hit on one elbow by the runaway truck.

The truck continued down a hill and into a ditch, where it stopped without hitting anything or anyone else.

At the time of the incident, Mladin was traveling via motorhome to his home in California, after attending the AMA Superbike National at Brainerd, and thus could not be implicated in any conspiracy involving the dump truck.

Despite Mladin’s alibi, several fans who had attended the June AMA National at Loudon immediately issued a statement blaming Mladin for the incident, alledging that the dump truck belonged to the America Mladin Association and was following Mladin’s orders when it came close to squashing Wood.

“I’d like to open a dialog with Mladin,” said Wood afterwards. “He has some valid points and I hope we can somehow reach an understanding and work together, putting aside our past disagreements. We just need to get beyond the personal attacks and name-calling, and work to make things better for everyone. All I want to do is advance motorcycle racing in the Northeast and make our track as good as it can be, and I am always open to constructive criticism.”

Special Editorial Note For The Humorless: Yes, this is satire, although the dump truck did nearly roll over Wood, and although Wood says he is genuinely interested in opening up a constructive dialog with Mladin and/or any other interested AMA riders.