The actor. The athlete. The amputee.

February 9, 2021 by Mike Sanford

Nothing stops Kurt Yaeger. Nothing. He’s a successful actor with roles in CBS’s NCIS Los Angeles, the Cinemax series Quarry, L.A.’s Finest, Sons of Anarchy, and his newest show Netflix’s Another Life (2021) on his list of credits. He’s an accomplished professional BMX bicycle rider, a serious athlete, and adrenaline junkie. He also happens to be a below-the-knee amputee.

A sense of adventure and lust for trying new (and occasionally dangerous) things runs in the Yaeger family. Kurt’s father and brother raced cars, and another brother was a professional rock climber. Kurt got his kicks on the pro BMX bike circuit, gaining the nickname “Crowbar.” That’s a whole other story. For Kurt, BMX bikes, big jumps, and adrenaline were life-as-usual. But a fateful motorcycle ride in 2006 brought life-as-usual to a sudden, screeching halt.

Everything broken. Except his spirit.

In March 2006, a typical ride on his Ducati motorcycle turned to tragedy. He lost control of his motorcycle and hit both a guardrail and a pole before plummeting 40 feet down an embankment. His pelvis and bladder were torn in half, seven vertebrae were broken, his lungs collapsed, and multiple ribs were broken. He suffered a severe concussion, his right ACL and MCL were torn, and finally his left leg required amputation below the knee. Life had dealt a crushing blow, but Kurt isn’t the kind to stay on the mat for long.

Kurt came back with a vengeance. After three and a half months in the hospital, a total of 27 surgeries, 6-months of grueling recovery and rehab, Kurt discovered the initial amputation surgery was performed incorrectly. After an additional surgery to correct the mistake, Kurt battled through recovery again and was on his prosthetic leg and back on his BMX bike in 4 months. Then he was off to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. Because, why not?

On and off the set on the Koa LP

Kurt’s acting career took off, and today he’s a successful actor and an outspoken advocate for disability rights in the film and TV industries. “I’m out to prove that a driven person with a disability can do the job even better than a person without.”

Kurt has been wearing the light and responsive Koa LP fiberglass foot on and off the set for the past year. And with his Koa LP foot, Kurt never misses a step. Running chase scenes, demanding fight scenes, and hours of walking and wardrobe changes…it’s all in a day’s work.

Off the set, Kurt isn’t one to take it easy. His Koa LP foot is always up to the task from downhill mountain biking, motorcycles, go kart racing, disc golf, or five miles on the elliptical daily. It’s just another day in the life of Kurt Yaeger.

The perfect foot for everyday life.

When Kurt isn’t on the set or on a bike or a motorcycle or a piece of exercise equipment, he’s just living life. Doing normal life things like driving a car, doing the laundry, and going up stairs.

“The Koa LP is just a great everyday foot for me. It can perform at a high level when I need it to, but it’s also just a great all-around foot. And the low build height means I can cross my legs without banging some bulky piece of hardware on my shin and knee. And it’s great with low-cut sneakers. It’s just a great, simple, reliable everyday foot.”

– Kurt Yaeger

Our partners at WillowWood are proud to have Kurt wearing the Koa LP. He’s an amazing guy and the embodiment of embracing life fully, no matter what life throws your way. And if the Koa LP can keep up with Kurt, we know we’ve done something right.

Check out the Cascade Website to learn more about the Koa LP foot!