Maria Costello was taking part in qualifying on Tuesday of last week when the crash occurred. The 52-year-old British rider was described as ‘serious but stable’ after the incident. She was initially transported to Noble’s Hospital by Airmed for assessment and treatment before subsequently being transferred to Walton Hospital.
In a GoFundMe post, the full extent of Costello’s injuries have been revealed. She is currently paralyzed from T5/T6 downward, suffered a spinal fracture (vertebrae T5 and T6), an arm fracture, multiple rib fractures, a Grade 4 liver laceration, a nasal fracture, and orbital fracture.
The page explains that Maria “will need specialist help with physio care and perhaps surgeries to hopefully help Maria regain use of her legs.”
The post goes on to explain “that this will have a lifelong impact on her, not just preventing and affecting a return to sport but impacting Maria’s every day life. Maria will need to adapt almost all aspects of her life. After a life of giving everything to a sport she loves, she will now turn that determination to recovery and recuperation.
“From the initial determination of her injuries it is already clear that Maria will need to move house or make house alterations, with accessibility adjustments needed wherever she is based. She will need an adapted bed, shower, kitchen, stairlift and specialist vehicle for transport. Maria will need further surgery over the coming weeks and months and require specialist rehab and physio support.
“Maria is beyond determined to bounce back and apply every ounce of focus to being back as well as possible. Maria’s recovery is highly expensive and after a career spent raising money from sponsors and backers for racing we now find ourselves asking for support for a very different but all to real problem. Whatever you can give will go some way to helping Maria’s recovery. We hugely appreciate any support and promise to continue to update you all on progress.”
Her passenger, Shaun Parker, is also being treated for chest, leg, arm and facial injuries. Brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe were involved in a airborne crash in a separate Sidecar crash, and these incidents compelled race organizers to cancel all Sidecar events for the rest of the week.
Costello once held the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman to lap the Isle of Man TT course, doing so at an average speed of 114.73 mph. In 2004, she placed eighth in the Senior race of the Manx Grand Prix in a field of 80+ competitors.
She was also the first woman in the history of Isle of Man motorcycle races to stand on the podium, doing so in the 2005 Manx Grand Prix.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Team
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: motorsport.com
