Robert Kubica seriously injured

[busydude]

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/2/11714.html

Renault race driver Robert Kubica looks set to miss part - if not all - of the 2011 Formula One season after suffering multiple fractures to his right arm, leg and hand in a high-speed accident on Sunday, while competing in the Ronde di Andora Rally in Italy.

Kubica, who regularly combines rallying events with his F1 career, was airlifted from the scene of the crash and underwent lengthy surgery at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure, with most attention focused on his heavily injured hand. His co-driver Jakub Gerber was unhurt.

Reports suggest that Kubica lost control of his Skoda Fabia on damp roads and hit a wall during Sunday’s opening stage. The car is then understood to have impacted with a barrier, which pierced its footwell.

Following seven hours of surgery, doctors were reasonably satisfied with the way the operation went and Kubica’s condition was described as stable but serious. After the procedure he was placed into an induced coma and could be woken up on Monday morning.

Renault’s Robert Kubica was able to talk to relatives and move the fingers in his injured right hand on Monday morning, after being briefly awoken by doctors at Italy’s Santa Corona Hospital (Pietra Ligure).

Kubica was placed into an artificially-induced coma on Sunday after undergoing seven hours of surgery to reconstruct his right forearm, following a high-speed crash whilst competing in the Ronde di Andora Rally.

The Polish driver spent the night under constant observation and on Monday Professor Mario Igor Rossello, Director for the Regional Centre of Hand Surgery at San Paolo Hospital in Savona, encouragingly reported that there is no swelling or infection on the right forearm, though it will be several days before it is known if the operation has been 100 percent successful.

In order to avoid further physical stress, Kubica will be put under gentle medication in order to sleep for the next 24 hours at least. In the meantime doctors will decide how to treat his elbow and shoulder fractures. Kubica may have to undergo surgery once again for this, but not for a few days.

Its really a sad news.. I hope he recovers and, although highly unlikely, be back in action in the near future.

 

[PricklyPete]

Saw this on Autoblog...very sad.

 

[LTC8K6]

I thought their contracts prohibited those risks...

From Wiki:

On 6 February 2011, he was injured in a crash on the first stage of the Ronde di Andora rally. He was driving a Super 2000-specification Škoda Fabia,[39] in San Lorenzo di Testico when his car left the road at high speed, and hit a church wall and a crash barrier. Kubica was trapped in the car for more than an hour before rescue workers were able to extract him.[40] He was flown by helicopter to Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure near Savona, where it was confirmed that he had suffered sub-amputation of his right forearm, compound fractures to his right elbow, shoulder and leg, as well as significant loss of blood.[40][41][42] The severity of his injuries were the result of the crash barrier penetrating the car's cockpit, and hitting Kubica, while leaving his co-driver unscathed. Kubica underwent a seven hour operation by seven doctors split into two teams, without complications, however he will have to undergo further surgery for additional trauma not dealt with originally.[40] While doctors have dismissed initial concerns that his right hand might be amputated, the condition of his hand will not be clear for some time and it is possible that he will miss the whole 2011 season.[43][44]

 

[JulesMaximus]

I saw this on ITV-F1 last night.

Hope he makes a full recovery.

Man, crashing spectacularly seems to be his forte.

Anyone remember this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTQBVDV1E7s

 

[The Boston Dangler]

i've never heard the term "sub-amputation" before. anyway, sounds grim. i don't expect him to return to f1. good luck, bob k.

 

[busydude]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12378835

Video showing the car..that Robert was driving.

 

[LTC8K6]

i've never heard the term "sub-amputation" before. anyway, sounds grim. i don't expect him to return to f1. good luck, bob k.

Don't google "sub total amputation"...

 

[punjabiplaya]

basically, his hand was almost severed off. Although when he crashed at the Canadian GP, he came back and won it the next year. Hope he gets well soon.

 

[aleckz]

Hope he comes out all right! We need more polish drivers! But Bruno Senna is still a good replacement for the team, hope they pick'em up!

 

[aleckz]

Oh and I hope the Lotus team can show this year, really would like to see the 2nd Merc team and Lotus show up the Ferraris, Renaults, and 1st Merc team up.

 

[Zargon]

I thought their contracts prohibited those risks...

eh

varies driver to driver

Rossi has raced cards, Schumi raced other car races and bikes

kimi rallied and ice raced

 

[dandruff]

sad very sad ... hope he recovers 100%

 

[JulesMaximus]

eh

varies driver to driver

Rossi has raced cards, Schumi raced other car races and bikes

kimi rallied and ice raced

Schumi raced bikes after he left F1...not while he was racing for Ferrari.

As for Rossi, he already races in one of the riskiest forms of motorsport so going to cars is actually much safer.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Yeah, read this via an RSS Feed earlier. Very unfortunate, and it must have been a big impact with all the extra roll cage and safety provisions in modern rally cars.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport/story/40168.html

Renault boss Eric Boullier has defended the decision to allow Robert Kubica to carry on rallying, in the aftermath of the serious crash in the Ronde di Andora event on Sunday.

"This is nothing to do with business," Boullier said. "Robert is allowed to do it because it is close to his heart. For him, rallying is vital, it is his balance. From that side, it's a mutual agreement.

"We knew the risks as well. We don't want a robot or corporate driver."

Dangerous activities like rally driving are usually forbidden in F1 driver contracts, and commentator and ex-racer Martin Brundle admitted on Twitter that he thought Kubica rallying between "key" F1 tests was "crazy".

Only last month Renault had to play down rumours of a rift after issues sidelined Kubica from the famous Monte Carlo rally.

i'm glad he had the freedom to do what he wants, but his driving carried that team last year.

 

[stratking]

Damn not "Bobby Kubeetzer". While never my favorite, he's a helluva talented driver and often overlooked. Hope he gets back on the track someday.

 

[JulesMaximus]

http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport/story/40168.html

i'm glad he had the freedom to do what he wants, but his driving carried that team last year.

Agreed. His teammate was far less experienced and it showed many many times. This is really going to hurt Renault.