KTM factory rider Isidre Esteve Pujol of Spain underwent surgery on Friday in Barcelona, Spain to stabilize a spinal injury sustained during a high speed crash last weekend. The Spanish rider was injured while competing in the Spanish All Terrain Rally. Specialists Dr. Villanova and Dr. Meir have reported after the operation that the level of injury to the 7th and 8th vertebrae was such that the rider has suffered paralysis from the waist down. They must now wait for inflammation to subside from the spinal column to establish if any further treatment is at all possible.
KTM factory team rally rider Isidre Esteve Pujol of Spain has suffered severe injuries from a high speed crash while competing in the Spanish All Terrain Rally. Spanish doctors have confirmed that the 34-year-old Dakar Rally competitor has severe injuries to the seventh vertebrae and a number of broken ribs, one of which punctured a lung. Initially the rider’s injuries were life threatening but he is now out of danger and able to speak, according to Pit Beirer, KTM Offroad Racing Director.