American ski legend Lindsey Vonn says a horrific crash at the Winter Olympics could have led to her leg being amputated.
AMERICAN ski legend Lindsey Vonn has revealed her horrific crash at the Winter Olympics could have led to her leg being amputated. The 2010 Olympic downhill champion suffered multiple fractures in her left leg during a fall on February 8.
She underwent a series of operations in Italy before returning to the United States for further surgery. Colorado-based orthopaedic surgeon Tom Hackett performed a six-hour operation that “saved my leg from being amputated”.
Vonn said the injury caused “compartment syndrome”, which put her leg at extreme risk. “When you have so much trauma to one area of your body that there’s too much blood and it gets stuck and it basically crushes everything,” Vonn explained in an Instagram post. “Muscle, nerves and tendons all die.”
“He cut open both sides of my leg, filleted it open. Let it breathe, and he saved me,” she added. Vonn posted a video including graphic images of her injury and surgery, announcing she had been discharged from hospital.
The 41-year-old came out of retirement last winter after almost six years away. She had found impressive World Cup form this season with seven podium finishes in eight races, including two victories.
A fall in January left her with a damaged ligament in her left knee, but she still competed at the Olympics. “It’s been really hard and not the way I wanted to end the Olympics,” she said, tearing up. “But it’s been inspiring to watch my team-mates.”
“No regrets,” she added. “I worked so hard to get back and this year was so worth it. It was one blip on the radar.” Vonn, who has 84 World Cup race victories, had been hoping to win her fourth Olympic medal.
She described an extremely painful recovery in hospital due to significant blood loss. “I was in the hospital a little longer than I hoped, because I had low haemoglobin from all the blood loss and I was really struggling with the pain which was a little out of control,” Vonn said.
“I can’t tell you how painful it’s been.” Vonn confirmed she is now well enough to move to a hotel but cannot yet walk. “It’s gonna be a long road. I’m in a wheelchair right now because I also broke my right ankle,” she wrote.
She now faces a lengthy rehabilitation process. “Now I will focus on rehab and progressing from a wheelchair to crutches in a few weeks. It will take around a year for all of the bones to heal.”
