ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver Robert Wickens had surgery Monday evening to “stabilize a thoracic spinal fracture” he sustained in a crash Sunday at Pocono Raceway, the Verizon IndyCar Series said.
“Titanium rods and screws were placed successfully in Wickens’ spine during the surgery, which was performed without complication,” IndyCar said in a statement.
The severity of Wickens’ spinal cord injury is unknown.
Wickens, 29, is expected to have additional surgeries to treat fractures in his “lower extremities and right forearm”, according to IndyCar.
He is in stable condition at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown, Pa.
Wickens was airlifted from Pocono Raceway on Sunday after he made contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay, went airborne and flew into the catch fence during the opening stages of the ABC Supply 500.
The other drivers involved in the crash, including James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Pietro Fittipaldi, and Takuma Sato, were all checked and released by IndyCar medical staff at Pocono Raceway.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Attn: Veronica Knowlton
6803 Coffman Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46268
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
