Giro rider Wackermann with laundry list from hospital injuries after freak accident by helicopter | Cycling

sport">The rider of Vini Zabu-KTM, along with his teammate and Dutchman Etienne van Empel, fell after a fence fell over, caused by the low-flying TV helicopter.

sport">Van Empel got off with a few cuts to the hands, for Wackermann the verdict is much heavier. This appears after the first investigations on Tuesday evening. He will no longer start in the fifth stage.

Laundry list

sport">Several injuries were diagnosed in the hospital: a concussion, a broken nasal bone, multiple bruises on the face and loin, bruises on the lip and dental arch, on the left eyebrow, on the chin and right knee, and various abrasions on his arms and legs.

sport">Finally, there is also fear of a vertebral fracture, but further research has yet to reveal this.

sport">While the rest of the Giro peloton took the boat to the mainland on Tuesday evening, the rider had to stay in hospital on the island of Sicily. Wednesday he underwent several more examinations.

sport">“Luca does not remember anything about the crash, but fortunately he is still alive,” said sports director Luca Scinto. The crush barriers would have been blown into the road by a low-hanging TV helicopter

sport">The CPA, the trade union for cyclists, has asked the international union UCI to investigate. “Because we cannot tolerate accidents like this,” said the CPA.

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