Injured Isle of Man TT rider Mercer undergoes surgery
Injured Isle of Man TT rider Steve Mercer has undergone surgery on his pelvis and leg which went “as well as the doctors could have hoped”, according to his wife Caroline.
Steve Mercer, Kawasaki
Toni Börner
Mercer was flown off the island to hospital in Liverpool on Wednesday night, after colliding with a course car on his way back to the start/finish area at the Grandstand following the incident at Churchtown which tragically claimed the life of Dan Kneen.
An update from event organisers the ACU stated Mercer was in a “critical but stable condition”, with wife Caroline revealing he had suffered a broken ankle, heel, T12 vertebrae, and is currently unable to breathe unaided due to neck and larynx damage.
In a further statement from Caroline on Friday morning, she confirmed Mercer had surgery early on Thursday, and says doctors are keeping him “heavily sedated” to keep him comfortable during recovery. She also thanked the racing community for its messages of support.
“Just to give you an update: Steve had surgery early Thursday morning for pelvic and leg injuries, which went as well as the doctors could have hoped at this stage,” the Facebook statement began.
“Other injuries include a broken ankle, heel, T12 vertebrae, a fracture to his larynx and damage to his neck which means he's not currently able to breathe for himself without support.
“They're keeping him heavily sedated most of the time to make him more comfortable while he recovers from his injuries.
“Thanks you so much to everyone who has helped us to get over to him so quickly, and for the hundreds of messages out to him to let him know everyone is rooting for him to get better.”
Following Mercer's incident, a new red flag procedure has been put into immediate effect.
An investigation into the Mercer incident has also been launched, though no further updates regarding this have been made by the ACU as of yet.
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