IndyCar driver Wickens hopeful of walking again

IndyCar driver Robert Wickens, injured in a violent crash Aug. 19 at Pocono Raceway, confirmed Thursday night that he is paralyzed from the chest down.

The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver posted a note on Instagram on Thursday to provide clarity on the extent of his injuries.

Wickens, whose car got airborne and spun several times along the Pocono catch fence, suffered an injury to his spinal cord as well as a thoracic spinal fracture, neck fracture, tibia and fibula fractures to both legs, four broken ribs, a broken right forearm, a broken elbow, fractures in both hands and a pulmonary contusion.

Wickens, in a Twitter post Friday night, said his spinal cord was not severed.

« Since my spinal cord injury was ‘incomplete’ the nerves may be able to find a way back to my legs, » Wickens wrote. « Incomplete means the spinal cord was not severed, it was only bruised. In months time the swelling will go down and we will learn more on how much nerve regeneration happens. »

Saying it is his full intention to walk again, Wickens wrote he does not have a definitive answer on if he ever will. He thanked his fans for their support.

« I already have most feeling and some movement back in my legs, so there is hope over the course of 24 months that I may regain enough movement to walk again! » he wrote. « So far the signs are promising, but I’m trying not to get ahead of myself! »

The 29-year-old rookie from Canada had top finishes of second at Phoenix and Mid-Ohio.

http://www.espn.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/25085265/indycar-driver-robert-wickens-confirms-paralyzed-chest-down