Training accident much more serious than initially reported
Felix Mattis
25.01.2022 | (rsn) – The injuries to Egan Bernal, who collided with a bus at a team training camp for the Ineos Grenadiers in Colombia on Monday, are significantly more serious than initial media reports had suggested. After three announcements from the La Sabana University Hospital in Chia, around 20 kilometers north of Bogota, it is clear that not only is the career of the 2019 Tour winner and 2021 Giro winner at stake, but there was also a risk of paralysis.
Bernal has suffered thigh and kneecap fractures, which have already been operated on. He also suffered a hematopneumothorax. That means air and blood get into the pleural space, which indicates a chest or lung injury. The most dangerous injuries, however, he suffered on the thoracic spine: the fifth and sixth thoracic vertebrae were broken, from the third to eighth thoracic vertebrae all shifted, it was said. There, too, he underwent immediate surgery to prevent spinal cord injuries. The operations were successful so far and the functionality of the affected body parts was secured, according to the hospital. He should remain in intensive care for the next 72 hours.
So far, there has been no official confirmation from the Ineos Grenadiers team regarding Bernal’s injuries, operations and condition. The British WorldTour racing team only confirmed that the Colombian had been taken to the hospital after an accident at the “team training camp near his hometown” – accompanied by the team’s medical staff and in a stable condition.
How exactly Bernal’s accident happened has not yet been clarified. Photos from the scene of the accident show a bus standing on the side of the road with damage to the rear left. According to the first media reports, this bus is said to have stopped, which Bernal did not notice, so that it crashed into the back with full force. The pictures show parts of the Ineos training group with road bikes, others with time trial bikes.
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