“I was incredibly lucky to survive this accident,” said the sprinter in a statement from his team Cofidis on Friday: “Even though we haven’t taken all the X-rays yet, I obviously don’t have any broken bones.” The 28-year-old said he was driving on “a quiet road in perfect conditions” when an oncoming car suddenly swooped in his direction.
“I fell over the car and flew a few meters further, fortunately in the ditch and not on the asphalt,” said Walscheid: “My bike was completely destroyed, ten meters away.” Walscheid was taken to Neuwied hospital by helicopter and “had to spend the night under observation”.
Numerous bruises
On Friday, the examinations should continue, with a focus on the head and the respiratory tract. Walscheid has suffered many bruises. “I still can’t believe I got through this without much worse wounds”said the two-time Tour de France participantr: “At the same time it’s very hard because I had good results and saw the potential to achieve even more. But today I’m particularly happy that I’m still alive.”
Source: SWR