Jockey Paralyzed after falling at Golden Gate Fields in California
One of the most talented and dominating jockeys in Northern California, Michael Martinez was shifted to Highland Hospital in a critical condition after he sustained serious injuries when he fell during the race at Golden Gate Field on Sunday. He was reported as being seriously injured by the hospital officials on Monday morning.
Dr. David Seftel, a physician at the hospital said that three thoracic vertebrate cracks and several fragments of the bone were detected in his x-ray. One of these cracks was so severe that it seriously affected his spinal cord. Apart from the spinal cord, the leading jockey suffered catastrophic injuries on his heads and ribs. He broke six of his rib bones. The blood vessels on both sides of the ribs were ruptured after he fell and both his lungs were found to be internally bleeding.
On Monday afternoon, Seftel said that this injury was the worst he had seen so far in his 10 year career of treating injured jockeys. He also said that it is very rare to suffer so many intense injuries on the race track. The doctor further said that they had to operate on Michael for over 11 hours, during which the surgeons removed the fragments of his broken bones from the lungs and other parts of the body. The surgery also included the stabilization of the vertebral column, which was seriously under stress after the fall. Seftel told the correspondents that the jockey is, unfortunately, paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life.
The ill-fated incident took place on Sunday at the Golden Gate Fields, during the fifth meet. The race was 5 and a half furlong long, and Michael was riding the three year old filly Fair ‘n Warm, who was expected to claim the race that evening. The horse was in the sixth place when the jockey fell off to the ground and the race horse ran on top of him. The site of the jockey and the horse tumbling down was very disturbing, said one of the spectators who witnessed the incident closely.
The physician revealed that Michael was hurled to the ground at a very high speed and in a spinning manner. He also told the correspondents that Michael did wake up for a few minutes after the 11 hour long surgery concluded but he was irritated and so he was immediately put into a medically induced coma. He added that Michael’s waking up after the surgery was a positive sign for them, since it has minimised the chances of any possible brain damage due to the fall. The physician said that the jockey will stay under observation at the hospital for about a week or maybe more, depending on his health progress. He said that they will have to be very patient during the whole process, since it is going to be a minute by minute and an hour by hour one. Moreover, he told those concerned that he can be considered a candidate for the embryonic stem surgery remotely, which is the only treatment by which he can regain movement.
Michael Martinez is only 24 and a native of Panama. He is the cousin of Alex Solis who has also been one of the most celebrated jockeys in the United States for about 25 years now. Michael has 168 victories in his career up till now. He occupies the 13th position in the North American rankings and has won the second most races in this season. He moved to the Golden Gate Fields in 2009 after not being very successful in Southern California and New Mexico. Michael started his athletic career as a jockey at the age of 18 and started riding in America in 2008. The jockey is engaged to Charlotte Garcia, who is expecting their first child anytime soon.
Dennis Patterson, Michael’s agent said that he has been on the track for over 50 years now and he has not seen a jockey as likable as Michael. He was deeply saddened at the news of Michael getting paralyzed at this young age.
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