Italian Cyclist Speared by Piece of Wooden Track in Freak Accident

A young Italian cyclist was impaled by a large piece of wood during a freak accident at a race in Belgium.

Lorenzo Gobbo, 17, was racing at the European Under-23 and Junior Track Championship when the accident occurred. During the race, a group of riders collided and a pedal hit the track. That seemingly minor event caused a large piece of wood to become loose, and that large piece of wood punctured Gobbo’s lung.

“He is recovering well but stays in intensive care to prevent infections,” Frank Glorieux, chief executive of meet organizers Cycling Vlaanderen, told the BBC.

“Glorieux had visited Gobbo on Saturday and said the rider was awake with his parents alongside him, adding: ‘Everything is under control,'” the BBC reports.

As for the dislodged piece of wood, technicians repaired the piece of track soon after the accident.

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