http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...QFtuwD99LJ8O00
News is still a little vague, but it looks like Massa is having surgery.
Man, I hope he's OK.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...QFtuwD99LJ8O00
News is still a little vague, but it looks like Massa is having surgery.
Man, I hope he's OK.
Makes me wonder again why race with open cockpits in the ultra-fast series.
Senna, Da Matta, Moore, Surtees come to mind... can't remember if it was a factor for Gonzalez or not.
"Each day well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this one day for it, and it alone, is life"
- Sid Collins
www.brianswish.com
Some bone fragments had to be removed from where he was struck by the spring. According to news here in Brazil, he's out of surgery now and none of the fragments went into the brain, so he appears to be in good condition. A really scary accident caused by a total fluke - what are the odds of a random spring coming off of one car and bouncing into a driver's head?Originally Posted by Tabernerus
"I do not speak the English so good, but then I speak the driving very well." --- Emerson Fittipaldi (1973)
Bad news.
...a puerile junior-high zit-laden bloviating bozo loser blogger using third-rate scatological pseudo-humor talking loud and saying nothing.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -- Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has
completed successful surgery after fracturing his skull in a
high-speed crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Italian team says the 28-year-old Brazilian will remain in
intensive care, although it does not know how long he will stay
under observation. He was conscious and in stable condition when he
arrived at AEK hospital by helicopter with a concussion.
The crash occurred Saturday after a spring had fallen off
another car and flew up and struck Massa in the helmet. An
apparently dazed Massa continued driving over a curb and across the
track. He went through the gravel area alongside the Formula One
circuit before striking a tire-lined barrier.
"I think of Indianapolis every day of the year, every
hour of the day, and when I sleep, too. Everything I
ever wanted in my life, I found inside the walls of
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."
- Eddie Sachs.
Wow
Be Well Felipe, hoping to see your smiling face in the paddock tomorrow,
Prayers for him and his family!!! You know after this and the death of John Surtees it makes you realize how special that these guys really are!!!
Hope you mean Henry Surtees. John's son, if not, another tragedy.
That won't happen. A fractured skull is a serious injury, and they will keep in in the hospital for about 4 or 5 days to a week for recovery and to observe him. He should be able to recover fully, from what they say. He is done for this season for driving, however. They will not allow the risk of another impact to the head in the same region, as his skull must heal completely before the risks of auto racing can be taken again. He could be back for next year, from what is known at this time.
Here's more from the Brain & Spine Foundation:
How long will they take to recover?
This is impossible to predict and it depends on the severity of the injury. The neurosurgeon should be able to give you an idea of timescale, but everyone is different. As a general rule, recovery after a severe head injury takes many months and the degree of recovery will ultimately depend on the injury itself.
What are the restrictions on driving after a head injury?
In many cases people are able to return to driving as soon as they have made a full recovery. However, if there has been a severe head injury, if a person has had surgery or if they have had one or more fits, it is essential that they contact the medical officer at the DVLA (see the address at the back of this booklet), who will tell them when they can drive again. If a person has a fit they will have to remain free of further fits for at least a year before they can drive again, and after an operation on the brain they will usually be banned for a minimum of six months.
Sport
After a head injury causing significant concussion, a skull fracture or after surgery to the head, contact sports (rugby, football, boxing, etc.) should be avoided for a period of time. Your doctor will advise you when it is safe to resume these activities.
Man, he was lucky, a number of racers have been KILLED by a similar injury. Probably high up on the list of injuries that kill drivers with Neck Injuries.
The impact had the potential to be fatal. From what I learned from the Brain & Spine Foundation website, it looks like the impact must have caused a depression in his skull, and the fracture to his skull. This would have caused the need for the surgery to repair the depression in the skull. His brain function should be OK because it looks like he got immediate care, and they have already revealed that no skull fragments entered the brain. That is real good news. He could expect to drive again some day. The speed of his recovery will determine when that will happen.
Here's more from the Brain & Spine Foundation:
What if the skull is fractured?
The skull is a very rigid structure. To damage it usually requires a lot of force, so a fracture is a sign that the head has received a significant injury.
Will it heal?
The skull almost always heals, but this may take many months. However, any pain or tenderness from the fracture will subside as the inevitable bruising settles down, usually in five to 10 days. Occasionally with a skull fracture parts of the bone are pushed inwards (depressed). This may require an operation to repair it, especially if the skin over the fracture is cut.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -- Hospital officials say Formula One
driver Felipe Massa is in "life-threatening" condition after
surgery for a fractured skull from a high-speed crash at Hungarian
Grand Prix qualifying.
Officials at the AEK military hospital said Saturday that Massa
will be kept sedated on a respirator in an intensive care unit.
Medical director Peter Bazso said at a news conference that
"Massa's condition is serious, life-threatening but stable."
Bazso and chief surgeon Lajos Zsiros say they expect Massa to be
awoken Sunday.
The 28-year-old Brazilian had surgery one hour after arriving at
the hospital, the doctors said.
Massa was struck in the helmet by a loose part from another car
and his car slammed straight into a tire barrier.
"I think of Indianapolis every day of the year, every
hour of the day, and when I sleep, too. Everything I
ever wanted in my life, I found inside the walls of
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."
- Eddie Sachs.
This.
I am surprised people are wondering when he will race again when the big issue right now is hoping he survives. It isn't just any old routine surgery, it sounds like major trauma and now they are keeping him sedated. Which sometimes means severe risk of swelling and brain damage. And if he was agitated after he regained consciuosness as someone said, that seems to mean the "fits" the above is referring to, although I have no medical knowledge..
If he had bone fragments removed or surgicly repaired, I would sadly guess that it will be a very long time before they ok him to drive again. Assuming he otherwise comes through this well.
I hope he has passed by the worst of it and Sunday when they awaken him we hear great news.
Thoughts and wishes that he comes through as well as possible.
His F1 days are probably over now.
I guess him racing again is just some peoples hopes. Mine too, I'm almost certain yours. There is nothing wrong with that.
True. I didn't intend to be a jerk. We're all hoping for the very best right now.
The quote from the Brain & Spine Foundation was just an unfortunate choice of words on their part, as they were referring to a "seizure" when they mentioned "fits". The website might be from the UK, so it could just be their term for the condition.
As far as Massa being "agitated", that likely would be a symptom of the concussion. The brain can be somewhat scrambled and cause confusion, and if that person just had a violent accident, it could feel (to them) as if the accident was still happening, and they may try to "get away". It is a natural human reaction to try to get away from danger. But the concussion has damaged the brain's ability to process the level of danger correctly. Thus, they appear "agitated".
Massa could have a full recovery with out the danger of seizures, based on the good news that no skull fragments entered the brain. The person who wrote of a "life-threateding situation" was only partially correct, and should not have used those words. It would have been more appropriate to say the surgery is successful, and he is recovering in intensive care.
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