Tiesj Benoot has said he is lucky to be around to be able to tell the story of his recent training camp crash while descending at 67km per hour. The Belgian was descending when a driver in a car drove out of a car park and into his path.
Jumbo Visma’s Benoot said he hit the vehicle with such force the car’s bodywork was dented, the wing mirror was ripped off a window was smashed. Some of the shards of glass from the vehicle had to be removed from his wounds.
The crash on Monday – which he was training in Livigno, Italy – resulted in a fractured a vertebrae in his neck. While he also believes he broke some ribs, he said the neck injury was the most serious as he would need to wear a brace for between six and 12 weeks.
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“I was descending and riding on a long straight”, Benoot told Het Nieuwsblad. “I wasn't even riding that fast. I went to look back, I reached something of 67 km per hour. Suddenly the car crossed a parking lot. Didn't he look or did he think he could pass quickly? I don't know.
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"I rode (into the car) full on and I've barely even been able to brake. The door of the car was dented, the mirror was off, the windows were broken…”
He said he was knocked out and was unconscious
for about 15 minutes. By the time he came to the ambulance was in the scene
before being airlifted to hospital and being administered morphine for the pain.
“That was quite scary. My neck felt
weird, but I didn't think it was broken. Fortunately, I was able to move my
hands and feet on the spot. That was a relief. A few millimetres and
it could have been a different story. I've more or less accepted it. I am
actually very grateful and happy that I can still tell (the story).
“I was diagnosed with another concussion and they
had to remove glass from my hip and elbow and stitch those wounds up. I
also feel like my ribs are bruised or broken. The doctors haven't told me
about that, but I know what that feels like and I recognise the pain when I
laugh or cough."
