Overview
- In an interview published Thursday, Vonn gave her first full account of the Feb. 8 Olympic downhill crash and said she is not closing the door on racing again.
- She described developing acute compartment syndrome after initial surgery, and Team USA physician Dr. Tom Hackett performed an emergency fasciotomy to relieve dangerous pressure and save her leg.
- Vonn said she underwent multiple operations, including a long reconstruction that required plates and screws, and she received a blood transfusion after heavy surgical blood loss.
- She was airlifted to a hospital in Treviso, where paparazzi initially crowded the helipad, and she recalls extreme pain, sleepless nights on a shared ward, and trauma that she says is now ‘seared into’ her memory.
- Back home in Park City since March 1, she follows a daily rehab plan of two hours of physical therapy and two hours in a hyperbaric chamber, while noting her pre‑Games ACL tear on Jan. 30 did not cause the crash and that her comeback season had her leading the downhill standings; lifestyle outlets highlight supportive letters from figures like Prince William as sports sites stress the medical stakes and her undecided future.