Zanardi ‘stable’ but fears of brain damage
Alex Zanardi, the former Formula One driver who became an inspirational Paralympic champion after having both his legs amputated in a motor racing accident nearly two decades ago, was ghting for his life after a handbike crash with doctors telling reporters: “The neurological damage is serious.” Zanardi suered serious head injuries with fears for his sight after losing control of his bike and colliding with a truck during a race in Italy on June 19. The 53yearold Italian was airlifted to hospital in Siena and underwent three hours of delicate neurosurgery before being placed in an articial coma. Zanardi remained “intubated and on articial respiration” and his “neurological picture remains serious,” doctors at the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital said. Neurosurgeon Giuseppe Olivieri, who carried out the operation on the night of June 19, described Zanardi’s condition as “very serious.” “The conditions are stable, but the neurological damage is serious and uncertain, and instability and deterioration may be possible,” Olivieri told journalists. “He arrived with signicant cranofacial trauma. All the bones of the face are fractured. He also has fractures on both sides of the frontal bone. At the moment, we are not talking about his neurological state. This is something that we will see later, when he wakes up and if he wakes up.” Messages of support poured in for the former Grand Prix driver who twice won the CART championship in the United States, before having both his legs amputated following an accident on the Lausitzring track in Germany in 2001. He went on to win four gold medals on his handbike at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games, and two silver medals, and multiple world championship titles.