Jakobsen ‘grateful to be alive’ after horrific crash

Fabio Jakobsen admits he is grateful to still be alive after being placed in a medically induced coma following a major crash during the Tour of Poland.

The Deceuninck-quickstep rider was airlifted to hospital and required facial surgery after a high-speed collision with fellow Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen in the final sprint of stage one on 5 August.

The 23-year-old issued a statement yesterday thanking the on-site medical team for saving his life.

“The trauma doctors and nurses at the finish line in Katowice saved my life, for which I am extremely grateful to them,” he said. “I spent a week in the intensive care unit at St Barbara hospital in Sosnowiec. Here they immediatelyoperatedonme for five hours and gave me the chance to live. I am very grateful to all employees of this hospital.

“I want to let everyone know that I am very grateful that I am still alive.

“It was a difficult, dark period for me in the ICU, where I was afraid of not surviving.

“Currently I am at home, where the wounds in my face and my injuries can continue to recover. In addition, I have to rest a lot in the coming months because of a severe concussion.

“In the coming weeks and months, I will undergo multiple surgeries and treatments to fix facial injuries.”