Neel Jani injured in cycling accident

Neel Jani

A1 Team Switzerland and former F1 test driver Neel Jani has been injured in a mountain biking accident which saw the 25-year-old sustain two broken bones and severe concussion after falling and striking his head whilst riding alone on a downhill gradient. The Swiss driver, keeping up to his fitness regime, was cycling at home in Switzerland last week when suspicions arose as he called his mother, without being able to pinpoint his location, in the immediate aftermath of the incident; Jani was only rescued from the spot when a passer by noticed the injured man.

"I don't really remember anything but I must have fallen forward, straight onto my head and shoulders, because my legs were fine," the 2006 Toro Rosso F1 test driver, who has also raced in GP2, explained to the official A1GP website. "I was actually quite happy because I had recorded my best ever time going up the hill! I had been in the forest, which is the most difficult bit of the ride, but as I was exiting the forest and coming down the hill I had a big crash."

Although he is unable to recall the fall in full detail, Neel has no trouble listing the subsequent injuries: "I fell on my head and split my forehead open and again by my right eye, so I have lots of stitches. I also broke the bone in my elbow and I have a suspected hairline fracture in my right wrist.

"I was on my own at the time but apparently I called my mum, which I also can't remember; because I had concussion I couldn't tell her where I was, so had to wait until another person found me to give directions.

"I stayed in hospital overnight for the doctors to keep an eye on me and I have had a check-up on my elbow. Luckily I didn't need any surgery, so they took the plaster off and that's a good thing. I have to go back again soon for an MRI scan on my wrist because it was too swollen last week for the doctors to see anything."