The interrogations of the organizers of the relay Objective tricolor are underway during which the serious accident occurred in Pienza (Siena) in which Alex Zanardi was involved. The interrogations are taking place in the barracks of the provincial command of the carabinieri of Siena. According to what was learned at the center of the investigations there would also be permits for the development of the initiative, organized by the sporting company Obiettivo 3 of which Zanardi is founder.
Alex Zanardi is being held in a pharmacological coma in the intensive care unit of the Siena hospital after last night's neurosurgery which "succeeded, which went as it should", but the "initial conditions were very serious". This was said by neurosurgeon Giuseppe Oliveri, director of Neurosurgery of the Scotte, who performed the surgery.
Zanardi, adds Oliveri, "arrived with a major facial head injury, had two frontal bones fractured with sinking of the same plus what we call 'facial crash' , that is , all broken facial bones . He was operated to patch up the situation and at the moment "the conditions" allow to cure it ". "All the numbers are good - Oliveri underlines -, obviously neurologically at this moment it cannot be evaluated even if the situation remains so serious".
Zanardi was given a CT scan after the surgery but "now we don't, he has a catheter for measuring intracranial pressure that keeps us informed". In the future "the maxillofacial surgeons will have to intervene", concludes Oliveri.
"Unfortunately, the neurological picture" of Alex Zanardi "is very serious". This was underlined by Professor Sabino Scolletta, director of the Emergency Emergency Department of the hospital of Siena after updating the reporters with the 12.30 medical bulletin. "Stable conditions are certainly a good sign from a diagnostic point of view while the neurological picture is uncertain", added Scolletta, adding that Zanardi is in a pharmacological coma, and will evaluate himself between Monday and Tuesday if the improvements allow an exit from this condition. The stability "of the clinical conditions" of the patient currently excludes this hypothesis ": thus Sabino Scolletta, director of the Emergency Emergency Department of the hospital of Siena, responding to journalists who asked him if Alex Zanardi is in danger of life. " The conditions are stable - he said - and we are satisfied with this, but the neurological damage is serious and uncertain, and instability and worsening may be possible. But at the moment the situation is stable and this excludes this hypothesis "
In the meantime, the driver of the truck against which yesterday in Pienza (Siena) went to collide in a handbike Alex Zanardi was entered in the register of suspects for serious injuries . "It's a due act," Chief Prosecutor Salvatore Vitello said today, referring to the investigations that are underway on the dynamics of the accident. To reconstruct what happened along the state road that leads from Pienza to Montalcino, where there was a clash at a curve, the carabinieri, in addition to seizing the vehicles involved, acquired an amateur video that could prove useful. Checks also on the organization of the event in which Zanardi was participating, a stage of the relay Obiettivo tricolore, in particular on permits relating to security.
Great prominence in the international media for the terrible accident of Alex Zanardi. The online edition of the Spanish newspaper Marca tells the drama of the Italian champion, focusing on his commitment to tackling disability. "The world of sport is shocked by the news and follows every detail of the accident and Zanardi's state with trepidation" writes Marca. The Mundo Deportivo speaks of the former Formula 1 driver as an icon since he suffered a serious accident in 2001 in a race in Germany which cost him the amputation of both legs. Since then he has always stood out for his spirit of improvement, his struggle and his positivism. The Spanish newspaper recalls that he has won four Paralympic medals on handbikes, as well as continuing to compete as a professional driver with an adapted wheel. Wide space also on the online edition of the BBC which reports a thought of the ex Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti: "I am so anxious and scared for Alex Zanardi that I hold my breath. I am his fan. I am his friend". The online edition of the German newspaper Bild writes about the 'horror accident' , accompanying the dramatic story with photos and details.