Concussion knocks out USA Bobsledder
According to USA Today, 3-time U.S. bobsled Olympian Todd Hays suffered what originally was thought to be a concussion during a training crash in Germany. After evaluation in the United States, doctors diagnosed Hays with intraparenchymal hematoma, or bleeding into the brain tissue caused by trauma to the head. His career was over. Bobsledder Hays retired after tests found bleeding in his brain
According to news reports, the crash that ended US bobsledder Hays’ career came on a foggy, rainy day on a German track during a World Cup training session. Hays was in his four-man sled when he lost control. None of his three sled pushers were injured. After an overnight stay in a German hospital, USBSF doctors decided to bring Hays back to Lake Placid, N.Y., for further evaluation, with hopes he could compete in an America’s Cup race. That’s when the bleeding was detected in the American athlete’s brain.
The Winter Sports Olympian will meet with neurological specialists to further evaluate the severity of bleeding in his brain and determine a course of treatment. Surgery has not been deemed necessary at this point, a positive sign for the 40-year-old, who played college football before becoming a top winter athlete. Doctors told Hays that “additional trauma to a healing brain … may cause irreversible damage” and advised him to stop racing immediately. With that, his quest for a fourth Olympic team came to a sudden end. Everyone at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. wishes Hays a good recovery and the US Bobsledding team safe success.
