Olympic Bobsled Slams into Track Worker
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iStock/Thinkstock(SOCHI, Russia) — A track worker was struck by a forerunner sled just before bobsled training runs began in Sochi Thursday, and was rushed to the hospital by helicopter with two broken legs.
“The worker was injured, received immediate medical assistance on the track and was then taken to hospital,” Sochi organizers said in a statement.
They stressed that standard procedures including a warning signal was given before the sled began to move down the ice.
The worker, only identified as an icemaker, was on the track near the finish line when the sled, reportedly used to assess ice conditions before races, slammed into him.
“The reasons for the icemaker’s presence on the track after the warning signal are currently being determined,” the Sochi organizer’s statement said.
Training runs were suspended due to the incident but resumed later in the day. The accident came a day before the bobsled competitions were set to begin on Friday.
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