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Lindsey Vonn Says Fourth Surgery Set After Olympic Downhill Crash

Medical specialists caution that recovery will be long with potentially lasting consequences.

Overview

  • Vonn said a fourth operation is scheduled Saturday in Treviso, with a possible fifth after she returns to the United States, and she hopes to leave the hospital following the next procedure.
  • She has already undergone three surgeries for a complex left tibial fracture suffered 13 seconds into the downhill before being airlifted from the course.
  • Doctors have stabilized her leg with an external fixator, and she remains largely immobile at Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso.
  • French knee specialist Dr. Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet warned that walking could take months and that similar injuries can, in rare cases, result in amputation or lifelong effects.
  • The crash came days after a Jan. 30 rupture of her left ACL, and her father, Alan Kildow, has publicly urged that this end her competitive skiing career.