21 June 2020

Alex Zanardi remains in serious but stable condition following crash with lorry

21 June 2020

Former Formula One driver Alex Zanardi remains in a serious but stable condition following an accident in a hand bike relay.

The four-time Paralympic hand cycling gold medallist suffered head injuries in a crash with a lorry in Pienza on Friday.

The 53-year-old underwent surgery at hospital in Siena, and remains on a ventilator in intensive care.

2016 Rio Paralympic Games – Day Seven (PA Archive)

“Regarding the clinical conditions of the athlete Alex Zanardi, hospitalised at the polyclinic Santa Maria alle Scotte in Siena since June 19 following a road accident, the health department informs that the patient spent the night in conditions of cardio-respiratory and metabolic stability,” read a hospital statement.

“Organ functions are adequate. He is sedated, intubated and mechanically ventilated.

“The ongoing neuro-monitoring has shown some stability but this data must be taken with caution because the neurological picture remains serious.

“The current conditions of general stability still do not exclude the possibility of adverse events and, therefore, the patient always remains in a reserved prognosis.”

Zanardi had both legs amputated after a crash in the American Memorial 500 Cart race in Germany in 2001.

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