Lindsey Vonn is desperately hoping she can leave hospital in Treviso, Italy and return to the United States in the coming days, but only once she has a fourth surgery on her broken left leg on Saturday.
It comes amid fears that Vonn could lose her leg after crashing 13 seconds into her run during last Sunday’s downhill race at the Winter Olympics, where she was already competing with a torn ACL in her left knee.
The 41-year-old American skiing legend suffered a ‘complex tibia fracture’ and was heard screaming on the course at the Milan-Cortina Games.
After being airlifted to hospital Vonn has had three procedures already, led by surgeon Stefano Zanarella at at Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso, and a specialist has claimed that ‘injuries like hers can end in amputation’.
‘We’re proud to have handled a delicate situation, without neglecting other daily emergencies,’ Zanarella told Corriere del Veneto.
‘The staff [are] trained and ready to intervene at any time, in fact we approached this complicated case with a team of experts, coordinating every step of the recovery process, which we are satisfied with.’
Lindsey Vonn hopes to return to the United States after a fourth operation on Saturday
Vonn said she still needs at least another two surgeries but hopes to be back in the US soon
In an emotional update from her hospital bed on Friday, Vonn thanked her social media followers for their support as she awaits further updates. She also revealed she needs at least two more operations, Saturday’s included.
‘Tomorrow I’ll have another surgery and hopefully that goes well, then I can potentially leave and go back home – at which point I will need another surgery,’ she said.
‘I still don’t know exactly what that entails yet until I get some better imaging, but that’s kind of where I am right now.’
Vonn also said she has had ‘a lot of friends and family’ come to visit while expressing her gratitude for the high volume of letters, notes and flowers she has received to wish her well, along with the ‘amazing’ hospital staff taking care of her.
‘I just want to say thank you… and go Team USA! It’s been great to watch and is really lifting my spirits, so good job team and keep crushing it.’
The damage to Vonn requires multiple surgeries and one orthopedic expert knee specialist in Lyon, Dr Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, said some similar injuries require amputation.
He told RMC Sport: ‘The timeline is quite unpredictable. 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. 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.’
Vonn sustained a badly broken left leg after crashing seconds into her race last Sunday
Vonn was airlifted to hospital and has remained in Italy ever since for treatment on her leg
He continued: ‘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 fully repair her fracture.
‘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.’
He also noted that this type of injury is more commonly seen in traffic accidents, particularly among motorcyclists.
Another French surgeon, Nicolas Baudrier, told L’Equipe: ‘From what we can see in the skier’s posts and photos, these are very serious injuries that required the application of an external fixator.
‘There were probably several bone fragments (comminuted fracture). With possible skin, nerve, or muscle damage, increasing the severity of the injury.’
Vonn has insisted that her torn ACL did not contribute to her crashing.
