German F3 driver Sophia Flörsch underwent a seven-hour surgery on her cervical vertebrae yesterday after her horror crash at the Macau Grand Prix on Sunday, tweeting in German last night that the surgery went well without complication.
The 17-year-old said in her latest tweet that the medical team had deliberately worked slowly on the surgery to reduce any risks.
Her tweet was followed by a press conference held by the public Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre where she had her surgery about her condition as well as others who were injured during the annual motorsports event.
The press conference was led by the hospital’s clinical director Lei Wai Seng, as well as Orthopaedic Department chief Lao Wai Lit and orthopaedic consultant Chan Hong Mou who both led the surgical team.
Lei said that Flörsch suffered a spinal fracture due to a compression of her spinal canal, and after being made aware of the risks, her family and her racing team agreed for her to undergo minimal invasive spinal stabilisation surgery at the hospital.
Lei said that since intraoperative nerve monitoring was required for the surgery and they needed to obtain bone to replace it in her vertebra, the surgery took longer than expected, which initially was four to five hours.
According to Lei, the surgery was completed in roughly seven hours, which included a wake-up test that took an hour. He said that her vitals were stable and that she was able to move her four limbs, adding that she still needed to stay in hospital for observation for another week or two.
Flörsch’s freak accident happened during the F3 race on Sunday when her car hurtled into two photographers and a marshal after flying off the track.
Dramatic footage captured gasps from the crowd as the Van Amersfoort Racing driver’s car flew through the air and into safety netting at the Guia Circuit’s Lisboa Bend.
Running 16th, she apparently lost control in a contact down to the straight, launched off a kerb and bounced off Japanese driver Sho Tsuboi’s car.
Her crash also involved four other patients.
A statement from the hospital said that a 34-year-old local man who worked as a Macau Grand Prix marshal, suffered a facial fracture and scalp laceration, which doctors have treated, and he will remain hospitalised for another three to four days for observation.
A 25-year-old male photographer assistant from the mainland sustained a liver laceration after having been hit by a hard object. Although he doesn’t require surgery, the statement said that he needed to stay in the hospital for up to 10 more days to ensure he recovers from the injury.
Tsuboi left hospital on Sunday after a thorough examination confirmed that he had not been injured in the accident.
Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre Clinical Director Lai Wai Seng (second from left), flanked by orthopaedic department chief Lao Wai Lit (left) and orthopaedic consultant Chan Hong Mou (third from left), address yesterday evening’s press conference at the hospital. Photo: GCS
German F3 driver Sophia Flörsch poses with her car in the paddock at Macau Grand Prix on Thursday. Photo: Lesley Wells
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