Pol Espargaró is transferred to Barcelona to undergo surgery

MADRID, 26 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Spanish MotoGP rider Pol Espargaró (GasGas) has been transferred to Barcelona to be treated for the injuries caused by his serious fall at turn 10 of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve during free practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix, he announced this Sunday his team.

“Pol Espargaró was transferred last night to the Quironsalud Barcelona hospital, under the supervision of Dr. Ángel Charte. The Barcelona team will now take care of him and keep him under observation. Thank you Hospital de Faro for taking care of him since his arrival on Friday afternoon,” reported the GasGas Factory Racing Tech3.

According to the medical report offered on Saturday by the Portuguese hospital, the Catalan suffers from a “mandibular fracture affecting the temporomandibular joint”, a “lung contusion”, a “small stable and non-displaced fracture of cervical vertebra 5 (C5) ” and a “fracture of a dorsal vertebra with a large edematous and inflammatory component”.

The rider from Granollers flew off his motorcycle at turn 10 of the Portuguese circuit, when there were less than 14 minutes remaining in Free Practice 2 of the Portuguese Grand Prix, which opens the motorcycle World Championship season. The competition quickly reported that the pilot was conscious, although before beginning his transfer to the hospital in an ambulance he had to be treated by the track’s medical team.

The Spaniard’s motorcycle did a strange thing and sped off, first hitting the track itself and then receiving the impact of his own machine, in the final zone of the circuit. The MotoGP medical director, the Spanish doctor Ángel Charte, reassured everyone shortly after the accident, ruling out that there was a spinal cord injury.