During the course of his rehab from losing his leg, Pieretti developed a passion for inline skating and turned it into a full-time job, performing at schools throughout California. In 1993, he skated across the United States to draw media attention to the needs of amputee children whose families couldn't afford to replace limbs every year. Thi...
Show more »
During the course of his rehab from losing his leg, Pieretti developed a passion for inline skating and turned it into a full-time job, performing at schools throughout California. In 1993, he skated across the United States to draw media attention to the needs of amputee children whose families couldn't afford to replace limbs every year. This stunt led to the development of the National Limb Bank. It also introduced Pieretti to Bill Spracher, who was the wheel chemist for Powel Peralta Skating Wheels. This chance meeting would lay the foundation for a lifelong friendship and the formation of their specialized prosthetics company: Amp'd Gear.Skating also drew the interest of Hollywood. In 1996, after performing various one-legged skating stunts for a series of commercials, Pieretti was hired to have his leg amputated by a bug in the film Starship Troopers. This turned out to be his big break. Pieretti could do the same stunts as a regular stuntman and he could blow his leg off. Since then, he has gone on to work with some of the biggest action film directors, including Paul Verhoeven, John Woo, and Steven Spielberg. Show less «