U.S. motocross star injured in car crash

American motocross star and freestyle daredevil Travis Pastrana is recovering from a serious car crash in which his Chevrolet Corvette left the road and crashed into a tree.

The SoBe Suzuki rider suffered a head wound and a hand injury and underwent surgery to repair nerve damage in one finger of his left hand and his left wrist. His passenger, mechanic Matthew Bigos suffered a possible spinal injury.

The accident occurred in Pastrana’s hometown of Davidsonville. The 19-year-old’s Corvette went airborne after cresting a rise in the road. Police reported the car ran off the right side of the road, before Pastrana apparently steered sharply to the left, causing the Corvette to spin, hitting a steep embankment and striking an oak tree.

The collision flipped the car and threw Pastrana and engine out of the vehicle. Bigos had to be cut out by firefighters.

” You can’t even tell what kind of car it is. It is just completely destroyed, ” said police traffic safety chief Lt Keith Williams,

Both Pastrana and Bigos are expected to make a full recovery. ” We’re relieved Travis is going to be all right, ” said Sobe Suzuki team manager Roger DeCoster. ” He was already having a rough season before this happened. ”

Pastrana has been released from hospital following his operation and is recuperating at home. He had already been taking time off to recover from previous injuries when the crash occurred.

The SoBe Suzuki team also lost rider Sean Hamblin for last weekend’s round of the AMA Motocross Championship. Hamblin has a rip in his Anterior Cruciate ligament, but will return for the next round at Red Bud and finish the season before having surgery in September.

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