Full extent of injuries to IndyCar driver Robert Wickens revealed
The full extent of the injuries Robert Wickens suffered in his huge IndyCar accident at Pocono last month have been revealed following surgeries to his legs and hands this week
Wickens was transferred from Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania to the IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis last week, with a Schmidt Peterson Motorsports statement confirming the latest surgeries were "completed without complication".
The statement said: "Wickens is expected to be transferred to a rehabilitation centre in the coming days to begin the recovery process.
"The severity of the spinal cord injury he sustained in the incident remains indeterminate and under evaluation.
"Physicians stress it could take weeks or months for the full effects of the injury to be known."
The statement listed the following among the injuries suffered by Wickens: thoracic spinal facture, spinal cord injury, neck fracture, tibia and fibula fractures to both legs, fractures in both hands, fractured right forearm, fractured elbow, four fractured ribs and a pulmonary contusion."
The Wickens family has decided to release full details of the injuries to ensure the severity of his condition was accurately reported.
The statement said: "As unverified sources immediately following Robert's accident inaccurately and without permission portrayed his condition as less than severe, in an effort to remain transparent and open, we are providing a list of Robert's injuries to truly showcase the severity of what our son/brother/fiance/friend/team-mate has gone through and will be recovering from in the months to come.
"We want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, prayers and positive energy that has been sent our way since Robert's accident.
"We are blown away by the strength of this IndyCar community and the support within it.
"While Robert's recovery and rehabilitation continue over the coming weeks and months, your loving messages will certainly be a source of encouragement for him."
The SPM team paid tribute to the medical care given to Wickens, and the response to his accident.
"The IndyCar community has been nothing but supportive the last few weeks," noted team co-owners Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson in the statement.
"We are grateful for their support as well as the exceptional care given to Robert by the AMR IndyCar Safety Team, the IndyCar Medical Staff, the surgeons and nursing staff at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest and everyone at IU Health Methodist Hospital.
"While Robert continues his recovery, we want to make it clear that the #6 entry is for Robert Wickens and him only.
"No matter the amount of time it takes for his full recovery, we will hold that seat for him.
"Carlos Munoz, the named driver for the last two events on the 2018 calendar is doing a great job for us to keep the #6 owner championship points alive, and we very much appreciate all the hard work he's putting into helping us finish the season.
"The road to Robert's recovery will be a long and tough one, but we hope you'll be alongside us cheering him on. BETTER. STRONGER. FASTER."
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