Now recovering at home in the Netherlands after his awful crash on the opening stage of Tour de Pologne, Fabio Jakobsen has said the medical staff he treated him saved his life.
The Dutch national champion crashed into
and through the roadside barriers in the sprint finish before hitting a race official
and upright scaffolding holding the finish line gantry in place.
He was nudged towards the barriers after
sprint rival Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo Visma) moved off his line significantly
in the sprint.
He has apologised and appeared on Dutch television in a tearful interview, with the aftermath of the crash resulting in criticism of how the barriers failed, with Deceuninck-QuickStep’s Jakobsen crashing though them rather than being deflected off them and back into the road.
Now Jakobsen has thanked the medics who treated him immediately the crash occurred and also in hospital in Poland, where he stayed for a week after the crash two weeks ago.
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“The trauma doctors and nurses at the
finish line in Katowice saved my life, for which I am extremely grateful to
them,” he said.
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“I spent a week in the intensive care
unit at St Barbara hospital in Sosnowiec. Here they immediately operated on me
for five hours and gave me the chance to live. I am very grateful to all
employees of this hospital.
“It was a difficult, dark period for me
in the ICU, where I was afraid of not surviving. Thanks in part to the organisation
behind the Tour de Pologne and my team Deceuninck-QuickStep, my family was able
to be close to me, which gave me a lot of strength.
“Last Wednesday I was transferred to the
Leiden University Medical Center. I was admitted to the ENT department and
treated further. Step by step I can start to live more independently.
“Currently I am at home, where the
wounds in my face and my injuries can continue to recover. In addition, I have
to rest a lot in the coming months because of a severe concussion.
“In the coming weeks and months, I will
undergo multiple surgeries and treatments to fix facial injuries.”
He added he want to “let everyone know that
I am very grateful that I am still alive”.
“All the messages and words of support
have given me tremendous strength. Step by step I can slowly look to the future,
and I will fight to recover,” he said.
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