Amy Gillette
Posted on 07/19/2005 5:59:06 AM PDT by rawhide
Australian cyclist Amy Gillett was killed and five other members of the Australian women's road cycling team were badly hurt when they were hit by a car while training in Germany, officials said on Tuesday. Gillett, a former Olympic rower, was killed when a car struck the six riders near the town of Zeulenroda, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Leipzig, at around 1540 GMT on Monday. The injured cyclists were named as Katie Brown, Lorian Graham, Kate Nichols, Louise Yaxley and Alexis Rhodes. "It is with deep regret that the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and Cycling Australia (CA) can confirm that an Australian road cyclist, Amy Gillett, has been killed and five of her team mates seriously injured in a tragic accident in Germany," the two sports bodies said in a joint statement. "The ASC and CA would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Amy's family and friends," they said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
13:09:29 - The Injuries Of Other Australian Women There are concerns for the health of the five other women from the Australian national road cycling team which was hit by a car in Germany while on a training ride yesterday. Here is a summary of the injuries sustained in the head-on accident. Alexis Rhodes is in the intensive care unit and her condition is described as "critical". Alexis is understood to have multiple fractures in the thoracic region (the part of the trunk between the neck and the abdomen) Louise Yaxley - now stabilized, but her condition is still considered "serious" (which is one level down from "critical") Katie Brown - at first it was thought Katie may lose a leg, but Fredericks said surgery on her leg was considered successful. In "serious" condition and in recovery after sustaining multiple fractures Lorian Graham - in a "satisfactory" condition. Understood to have both collarbones broken, plus broken hands, as well as knee and leg injuries; Katie Nichols - in a "satisfactory" condition. Had severe deep tissue damage including torn tendons, but again, surgery was considered successful Amy Gillett - deceased.
Very sad. Hope the others can eventually recover..
Amy Gillette
Amy Gilett
Seems like no head injuries thanks to the helmets they wear.
The car must have been going so fast to have them all so injured.
I've been following the TDF and I can't for the life of me figure out why there aren't more accidents between the cyclists and the motorcycle cameras, vehicle support crews and the spectators. From what I have seen on TV, European roads just don't seem to be very safe.......
Very sad news... Thank you for the heads up on this article, Cagey.
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2005 list.
There's nothing wrong with the roads, it's just that they're full of various support vehicles for the tour. The motorcyclists who drive the cameramen around are seasoned professionals, and while it seems amazing that they don't collide with the cyclists, that's their job.
They showed pic's of the car...and it rolled at least once...in bad shape and won't be driven again. I'd be guessing at least 50 mph at time of accident.
There are tons of near-misses each year and it doesn't surprise me that we don't see more deaths on German highways. These cyclists simply run the open road and you can come around a corner and suddenly find five of them right in front of you.
What happens when you "come around a corner" and suddenly find a DPW truck crawling along the right 2/3rds of the roadway? Do you plow into it?
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