A prominent figure in America’s outdoor and cycling scene has lost a foot in circumstances that remain mysterious, as local police say he cut his foot off with a chainsaw, while he and his spouse maintain the amputation happened during a hit-and-run accident.
The story was detailed in a GoFundMe post by Dillen Maurer’s wife, Jenn Maurer, who recounted how her husband – an established frame builder at Baphomet Bicycles in New Mexico – lost his foot several inches above the ankle over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
“We believe sometime on his way home he had an accident that resulted in the complete severance of his foot. Dillen himself called 911 after fashioning a tourniquet from his belt and a tool from his bicycle bag. His first-aid knowledge and efforts saved his life,” Jenn Maurer wrote.
“He remembers immediately before feeling like he’d been ‘hit and spun around’ that he heard an ATV or other off-road vehicle behind him. But it happened so fast he didn’t see who it was, and no one remained at the scene,” she added.
But law enforcement officials apparently questioned that account, according to Jenn Maurer and Cycling Weekly. The biking magazine reported: “A blood trails suggests [sic] that an incident of some kind occurred only 600 feet from their home, and his bike was found inside the garage.” It also reported that the amputation was a clean cut.
Jenn Maurer said on the fundraising page: “You can imagine how shocked I was when I finally contacted the sheriff, who responded to the incident hours later. I wanted to know how close they were to finding out who hurt the love of my life, and the sheriff deputy responded, ‘The case is closed. There was no hit and run. Your husband cut his own foot off with a chainsaw.’”
Both Maurers deny self-harm, but admit that – owing to a high-school head injury – Dillen Maurer has long struggled with memory.
“The fact is, no one will ever know what happened unless a witness comes forward or Dillen’s memory is restored,” Jenn Maurer wrote.
