Bas Vaessen injury update from Culham crash

By Andrew Hill on 3rd May 21

British Motocross Championship Culham Bas Vaessen

The latest Bas Vaessen injury update says the Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee rider is in the Intensive Care Unit of an Oxford hospital.

Note: Latest injury updates posted at the foot of this article.

Vaessen suffered a serious injury at the Culham track in Oxfordshire on Sunday, May 2 during the opening MX2 race.

The moto was red-flagged very early on to allow the medics to help Vaessen, who had crashed hard at the bottom of the circuit.

The crash has left the super-fast Dutchman with an all-to-familiar back injury his girlfriend, Bente, reports that he has broken his vertebrae T8 to T11 but doesnt need surgery.

It appears to be a similar injury to one he suffered at the MXGP of Asia in 2019.

On that occasion, Bas was left nowhere to go when Thomas Kjer Olsen dropped it in front of him the contact catapulted Bas high in the air and he landed heavily. If that wasn't enough, his bike then landing on him.

Later, Bas admitted that the horrific Semarang crash left him with no feeling from the neck down for four minutes.

Bente offered this latest on Bas' injury status: "For now he is in the adult intensive care unit in Oxford. They are taking very good care of him. He broke his vertebrae T8 to T11, for now this is not the issue and it doesnt need surgery.

"Unfortunately, he hit his neck again, no new fractions but a lots of swelling.

"For now it is uncertain what the outcome will be in the future.

"We wanna thank you for all the sweet messages you're sending! Im going to read the messages to him, but he cant answer them right now because he cant move properly. Well stay positive and keep you updated."

All at TMX wish Bas a full and speedy recovery.

Update May 17, 19:17 BST: There has been another update on Bas's Instagram account. It's heartening to hear that the young Dutchman has been making progress and is now out of ICU.

He impresses his doctors with remarkable improvements, but he has four broken vertebrae in his back and spinal damage in C3 and C4 the latter is causing serious disability problems.

"Bas has been removed from the high intensive care to a normal ward on the Neurology department in Oxford," said the update. "This means his vital body functions are well under control.

"The crash in Culham resulted in four broken vertebrae in his back as well as spinal damage in C3 as well as C4, the latter causing serious disability problems.

"Since past weekend he gets therapy on a daily basis and he surprises the doctors with remarkable improvements. He can move his feet and hands a bit, the left side is better than the right side and he has feeling throughout his body. Which is, sure enough, a good sign. Rehab will take a very long time, however.

"This means we started up the procedure to repatriate him to a spinal rehab centre, this will take some time due to COVID, Brexit, MRSA and such. The facilities in Oxford are excellent, for which we are grateful, but closer to home would be nice.

"We are also grateful for the support we receive from the team, sponsors, the MX-society, friends and fans. Your thoughts and messages are greatly appreciated.

"He cannot use his hands actively, so he cannot reply to the many kind messages he receives."

Update May 13, 10:00 BST: The team has released an injury update on Bas Vaessen as he starts physiotherapy.

Update May 5, 19:58 BST: Vaessen's girlfriend has just posted a brief update on his current condition. "Bas is stable at the moment and thats why hes transferred from the high intensive care unit to the medium intensive care," the statement says. "At the moment we are really happy with the small improvements, like moving his toes and hand a little bit. He can eat somewhat and has a stable blood pressure. We have a long way to go and we remain positive. Love Bente & Bas"

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