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Alex Zanardi seriously injured again in handbike crash

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ROME (AP) Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi was seriously injured again in a handbike crash on Friday - nearly 20 years after losing both of his legs in a horrific auto racing accident.

Zanardi was transported by helicopter to Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital in Siena following an incident near the Tuscan town of Pienza during a national race for Paralympic athletes, police told The Associated Press
A Carabinieri police official in Montepulciano said the incident involved a ''heavy vehicle'' and he believed Zanardi was still alive. The official did not give his name as per local custom.
Local TV at the scene of the crash showed what was apparently Zanardi's handbike lying on its side and missing two of its three wheels. A large truck pulling a semitrailer appeared parked on the road ahead.
''It happened on a slightly downhill straightaway just before a slight curve in the road,'' national team coach Mario Valentini, who was following the race, told La Repubblica Florence. ''Alex veered slightly into the oncoming lane just when a truck came. (The truck) tried to swerve but couldn't avoid the crash.''

Repubblica said Zanardi remained conscious until medical personnel arrived, and that he was breathing by himself.

Racing great Mario Andretti tweeted, ''I am so anxious and frightened about Alex Zanardi that I'm holding my breath. I am his fan. I am his friend. Please do what I'm doing and pray pray (for) this wonderful man.''
The Italian Olympic and Paralympic Committees had no immediate comment.

Zanardi won four gold medals in handbike at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics.

The 53-year-old Zanardi lost his legs in a horrific crash during a 2001 CART race in Germany.

At the time, Zanardi was a two-time CART champion who had recently returned from a second stint in Formula One and had plowed through the field to lead laps for the first time since he'd left the series after his 1998 title. The crash occurred when Zanardi spun his car after a pit stop and he was hit by another driver. Both legs were severed at impact.

Zanardi was an established racing star before the accident, and his accomplishments since transcend sports. An inspirational figure with an indomitable spirit, he designed his own prosthetics - he jokes he made himself taller - and learned to walk again. Then he returned to racing in touring cars. After that came hand cycling, a class victory in the New York City Marathon and Paralympic glory.

Last year, Zanardi competed in the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race, driving in a race for the first time without prosthetics. He used a special steering wheel designed for him by BMW that allowed him to drive with hand levers.

Prayers for Alex Zanardi. I would ask why is the Paralympics is staging races on a road where other vehicles are operating at the same time.

Zanardi's condition “serious” but “stable” after Friday surgery

https://www.motorsport.com/general/news ... l/4809529/

Alex Zanardi remains in a serious condition following his handbike accident and subsequent surgery on Friday evening.

The latest update from the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital in Siena, issued at 10am Italian time, says that his vital signs are stable.

The full statement reads: “Regarding the clinical conditions of the athlete Alex Zanardi, hospitalised from 1800 on June 19 in very serious conditions at the Santa Maria alle Scotte polyclinic following a road accident that occurred in the province of Siena, the Health Directorate of the Aou Senese informs that the patient, subjected to a delicate neurosurgical intervention on the evening of June 19, and subsequently transferred to intensive care, has stable hemodynamic and metabolic parameters.

“He is intubated and supported by artificial ventilation while the neurological picture remains serious.”

Zanardi underwent some three hours of neurosurgical and maxillofacial (related to the jaw and face) surgery on Friday under Dr Giuseppe Oliveri, chief of neurosurgery at the hospital.

He was competing on a stage of the Obiettivo Tricolore relay event, which runs around Italy for two weeks, when he crashed into a truck.

The accident happened on the SP146, a winding road through the countryside between the towns of Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia. Reports from witnesses say that Zanardi lost control, overturned and went into the oncoming lane, where he struck the vehicle.

Because the accident occurred in a wooded area the helicopter couldn’t land at the site, and Zanardi had to be transferred to a field, where the helicopter could land.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica quoted Mario Valentini, the coach of the Italian team, as saying that the truck had tried to avoid the collision.

“It happened on a straight downhill, just before the road makes a slight bend,” he said. “Alex slightly crossed into the other lane. The truck tried to steer but was not able to avoid the impact.”

Zanardi leaves hospital 18 months after handbike accident

https://www.motorsport.com/general/news ... t/6927379/

IndyCar champion and Paralympic hero Alex Zanardi has finally left hospital 18 months on from the handbike accident that left him with serious head and facial injuries.

The 55-year-old Italian legend had been hospitalised after he collided with a truck during the Obiettivo Tricolore handbike relay event in June 2020, with his injuries requiring multiple operations and a prolonged rehabilitation programme.

In an interview with BMW, his wife Daniela provided the first update on her husband's condition since July, saying that Zanardi had left hospital "a few weeks ago" to continue his recovery at home.

“The recovery continues to be a long process," she said. "The rehabilitation programme led by doctors, physiotherapists, neuropsychologists and speech therapists has enabled steady progress.

"Of course, setbacks are there and can still occur. Sometimes you also have to make two steps back in order to make one step forward. But Alex proves again and again that he is a real fighter.

"An important step was that Alex was able to leave hospital a few weeks ago and is back at home with us now. We had to wait very long for this and are very happy that it was possible now, even if there are still temporary stays in special clinics planned for the future to carry out special rehabilitation measures on site.”

Zanardi has made "a lot of progress" in terms of his condition and in particular his arm strength, Daniela said, which has enabled him to spend most of his time in his wheelchair rather than in bed.

On her expectations for her husband's future recovery, she added: “You still can’t predict how his recovery will further develop. It is still a long and challenging way that Alex tackles with a lot of fighting spirit.