Zanardi in serious but stable condition after surgery for head injury
Alex Zanardi remains in a "serious" but "stable" condition after undergoing surgery for severe head injuries sustained in a handbike race accident in Italy on Friday
According to multiple news reports from Italy, Zanardi was involved in a crash with a heavy vehicle on highway 146 while participating in the Paralympic handbike 'Obiettivo tricolore' event on Friday near Siena.
The accident occurred at 5:05pm local time, with firefighters, national police and local police all assisting at the scene.
He was airlifted to Siena University Hospital and spent two-and-a-half hours undergoing "a delicate neurosurgery" and "maxillofacial intervention", according to an update from the hospital, before being transferred to an intensive care unit with a reserved prognosis in a "very serious" condition.
A subsequent update from the hospital, released at 9am local time on Saturday, reported that Zanardi "has stable hemodynamic and metabolic parameters", but continued to be "intubated and supported by artificial ventilation".
"The neurological picture remains serious", it read.
Zanardi is a leading Paralympic athlete, having won four gold medals on his handbike in the 2012 and 2016 games.
The 53-year-old former grand prix driver won the CART championship twice prior to an accident at the Lausitzring in 2001 that resulted in both his legs being amputated.
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