#ForzaAlex: Alex Zanardi, double-amputee racing driver and Paralympic Champion, in critical condition following accident

[misskarne]

Just when we thought 2020 couldn't get any worse.

Alex Zanardi was airlifted to hospital on Friday after a crash while competing in a handbike race in Italy. He underwent three hours of "neurosurgical intervention" surgery and is now in intensive care in a critical condition, intubated on a ventilator and in a medically-induced coma.

The surgeon has not given us a pretty picture:

"The condition of Alex Zanardi is serious but stable," Dr. Olivieri is quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

"He arrived here with major facial cranial trauma, a smashed face, and a deeply fractured frontal bone [forehead]. The numbers are good, although it remains a very serious situation.

"We won't see what his neurological state is until he wakes up — if he wakes up. Serious condition means it's a situation when someone could die. Improvement takes time in these cases.

"Turns for the worse can be sudden. The operation went according to the plan. It's the initial situation that was very serious."

Regarding the next steps for Zanardi, Dr. Olivieri said: "The next step is to try and stabilise him over the next week or 10 days. Then if things go well, he could eventually be woken up and re-evaluated.

<snip>

Sabino Scolletta, the director of the hospital's intensive care unit, added: "The situation is clearly critical in terms of brain damage."

No you don't, 2020. Don't you dare take the legend that is Zanardi from us too. Please let this not be another Schumacher. Please.

Forza, Alex!

EDIT: Oh god it gets worse. Apparently he made an error on a downhill section, lost control, and hit a truck coming the other way. There is now a criminal investigation underway as to why the race was being held on open roads with traffic coming in the opposite direction.

 

[Buzz]

Prayers for a full recovery

 

[paskatefan]

 

[Judy]

That is awful. I used to watch car racing back in the day. I truly hope he is ok.

Schumacher is def a horrible and tragic situation. A fluke accident and a lot has been kept secret but it’s not hard to guess at the situation .