Lindsey Vonn confronted ‘potential amputation’ after horror Winter Olympics horror crash
Lindsey Vonn has been warned she could face lifelong consequences and months before walking normally again after her horror Winter Olympics crash left her with a complex tibia fracture
Lindsey Vonn suffered the horror injury last weekend(Image: @LindseyVonn / Instagram)
Lindsey Vonn may face months before she can walk again following her terrifying crash at the Winter Olympics, warns a specialist surgeon from France.
The surgeon also hinted that the repercussions of the injury could persist for the rest of her life. Vonn was rushed to a hospital in Treviso on Sunday after a high-speed mishap just 13 seconds into the women’s downhill event.
She lost control after colliding with a gate and tumbled onto the slope in Cortina. Following immediate treatment, she was transported to the hospital for further medical attention.
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It was later disclosed that she had suffered a “complex tibia fracture,” and has since undergone three surgeries.
Despite making progress in her recovery, Vonn is confronted with additional hurdles in her rehabilitation, including the potential risk of amputation. This warning comes from orthopaedic knee specialist, Dr Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, based in Lyon, France.
“The timeline is quite unpredictable,” he shared with RMC Sport. “It will be months before she can walk normally again. Her goal now is first and foremost to keep her leg and be able to walk,” reports the Mirror.
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“I think we’re not yet at the stage of returning to high-level skiing. We’re not there yet, but some injuries like hers can end in amputation…”
Sonnery-Cottet further elaborated that Vonn might face lifelong challenges, even if amputation isn’t necessary. “The latest images posted on her Instagram account show that, even though the surgeries were successful, the ‘external fixator’ – that is, the enormous pin they put in her left leg – proves that they haven’t been able to repair her fracture fully.
“It’s only temporary for now. It’s important to understand that her injury is extremely serious and will cause her problems for at least months, and could even leave her with lifelong consequences.”
Despite the severity of her leg break, Vonn has maintained that it was unrelated to the torn ACL she suffered just days before the competitions. Updating fans on social media, she stated: “My Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would.
“It wasn’t a story book ending or a fairy tale, it was just life. I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it. Because in Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches.”
Vonn explained the incident: “I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash.
“My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever. Unfortunately, I sustained a complex tibia fracture that is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.
“While it did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets. Standing in the starting gate was an incredible feeling that I will never forget.
“It will be months before she can walk normally again. “Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk.
“It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport. And similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall.
“It will be months before she can walk normally again. “Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don’t achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is the also the beauty of life; we can try. I tried.
“I dreamt. I jumped. I hope if you take away anything from my journey it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly. Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying. I believe in you, just as you believed in me. LV.”
