Nyjah Huston suffers fractured skull and eye socket in “death defying” skateboard accident to start 2026 in hospital

Olympic bronze medallist Nyjah Huston suffered a fractured skull and fractured eye socket after a skateboarding crash, he said on Monday (5 January).

“A harsh reminder of how death defying skating massive rails can be,” the 31-year-old wrote on social media, alongside images showing the U.S. skater being attended to by medical personnel, in a hospital bed, and bruising to his left eye.

“Taking it one day at a time. I hope y’all had a better new years than me. We live to fight another day.”

Huston, a two-time Olympian, is famed for his daring street skateboarding and competition success, boasting 15 X Games gold medals in addition to his Olympic hardware.

Several of the sport’s other big names shared messages of support on Instagram. 

“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” wrote skateboard legend Tony Hawk in a comment.

“Get well soon buddy,” added Brazilian women’s skate pioneer and Olympian, Leticia Bufoni.

No timeline has yet been given for a competitive return for Huston, who had been expected to appear in contests throughout 2026.

He finished 30th at the recent World Skateboarding Tour World Cup stop in Kitakyushu in November 2025.