Flat jockey Graham Lee is in intensive care having suffered damage to his spinal cord in a fall coming out of the stalls.
The Irish rider was unseated from Ben Macdui at Newcastle racecourse on Friday evening (10 November) and was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle with a neck injury.
The Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) said yesterday (12 November): “Jockey Graham Lee’s MRI scan has shown that he has suffered an unstable cervical fracture causing damage to the spinal cord, as well as damage to blood vessels in the mid-cervical region.
“He remains in ITU with respiratory support at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle, but it has been possible to reduce his sedation.”
The IJF said Graham’s was a very serious injury.
“At this early time, it is not possible to predict the extent of long-term recovery,” the charity said. “Graham’s family are very grateful for the many messages of support that they have had.”
47-year-old jockey Graham Lee had more than 1,000 winners over jumps before he switched to the Flat, including the Grand National on Amberleigh House in 2004.
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