U.S. skiing star Lindsey Vonn had to be calmed down by first responders after she suffered a complex tibia fracture in a major crash that ended her Winter Olympics on Sunday, according to Dr. Thomas Spallinger, who reached Vonn on skis with a member of Italy’s national military police force.
“I intervened with the Carabinieri officer who was on duty with me at the start of the races, and we reached her on skis,” Spallinger told Spanish newspaper, El Mundo. “We assessed her and, given the nature of her injury, we decided to arrange for her to be transferred to the hospital by rescue helicopter.
“She was in a lot of pain at the time, so I rushed to begin treatment on site and stabilized her. Her physical therapist also intervened and helped us calm her until the helicopter arrived. Everything went smoothly, thanks to the excellent coordination and preparation of the medical staff, rescuers and the organization.”
Spallinger, who is a young anesthesiologist living in Northern Italy, is working his first Olympics.
Vonn, who ruptured her ACL a few weeks ago, fractured her leg just 13.4 seconds into the final of the women’s downhill along the Cortina d’Ampezzo run on Sunday.
She was airlifted by helicopter off the course.
The next day, the 41-year-old Vonn revealed she suffered a complex tibia fracture that will require multiple surgeries to fix.
“I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever.”
She added that she knew that racing was a risk, but she has no regrets.
Vonn shared that she had her third surgery on Wednesday, and that it was success.
“Success today has a completely different meaning than it did a few days ago,” she wrote, including a photo of her laying in a hospital bed with a metal splint on her leg. “I’m making progress and while it is slow, I know I’ll be ok.
“Thankful for all of the incredible medical staff, friends, family, who have been by my side and the beautiful outpouring of love and support from people around the world. Also, huge congrats to my teammates and all of the Team USA athletes who are out there inspiring me and giving me something to cheer for”
