Jacqueline Silva out of Rip Curl Pro after getting injured in a car accident
Brazil’s Jacqueline Silva has been forced out of the Rip Curl Women’s Pro at Bells Beach, Australia, that is scheduled to kick off today, April 20, after getting involved in a car accident yesterday. The 31-year-old Association of Surfing Professional (ASP)
Women’s competitor was driving to the contest site on the morning of April 19, when she ended up in a head-on-collision.
Silva, who is currently World Number Nine on ASP Women’s Rankings, was rushed off to the Geelong Hospital for immediate attention. Initially it was thought that she had managed to avoid any serious damage and only ended up with a minor knee injury. However,
after examinations, the doctor suspected a broken bone in her shoulder and kept her at the hospital for further monitoring.
Rip Curl spokesman, Dane Smith, announced on April 20, that Silva had been forced to pull out of the contest because of her injuries. He said that while they were still awaiting full confirmation of Silva’s injuries, the reports received till now confirmed
that the injuries are a little more serious than what they had initially thought.
Smith further said, “She may have a potential broken bone in her shoulder, and may have an injury to her knee. It's not 100 per cent confirmed yet, but she has withdrawn herself from the event because of those injuries and because of her stay in Geelong
Hospital.”
The unfortunate accident and the seriousness of the injuries have come as a real disappointment for her fans, the event organisers and the fans of surfing.
The accident that forced Silva out of the contest took place on Tuesday, according to the police reports. She was driving along the Surf Coast Highway at Torquay when suddenly another car veered across the road and smashed straight into her car, destroying
the front of her car and causing injuries. The accident took place outside the Torquay Police Station.
Reportedly, the driver of the other car, a 42-year-old local, was not of sound mental health and blacked out just before the collision. While Silva was immediately taken to the Geelong Hospital, the driver of the other car was flown to The Alfred hospital
to receive treatment for head injuries.
Silva initially believed that she would still be able to compete in the Rip Curl Pro women’s event that was initially scheduled for yesterday afternoon. However, the event was postponed for one day due to poor surfing conditions. Unfortunately, this still
did not allow the veteran pro surfer to make it to the event, as her medical reports stated that she was not fit to surf.
It is not yet confirmed whether Silva plans on staying in Australia for the time-being or if she would be heading back to Brazil.
Winner of 19th April’s junior competition, Nikki Van Dijk from Australia, will be replacing Silva in the heat against Hawaii’s Carissa Moore and France’s Pauline Ado at Rip Curl Pro today.
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