Wouter Weylandt - Death

Death

In stage 3 of the 2011 Giro d'Italia, Weylandt crashed while descending the Passo del Bocco (it), near the village of Isola di Borgonovo, suffering a fatal injury. With some 17 km of the stage remaining, riders were going downhill in the final part of the descent, Weylandt trailing the main peloton, going perhaps 50 mph (80 km/h). According to Manuel Antonio Cardoso (a Team RadioShack rider who was trailing Weylandt), Weylandt looked back over his left shoulder at other riders before a slight left bend. Weylandt lost control and hit the leading edge of a low concrete guard rail on the left side of the road with his foot and pedal. He was thrown to the right side of the road, where he hit another obstacle.

The medical chief of staff of the Giro, Dr. Tredici, was right behind the accident in a service car and reported that he ran to Weylandt less than 20 seconds after the crash but, he said on Sky News, "...he was already and clearly dead upon impact. I had never seen such a thing before, such a sudden death." Tredici also reported about the very severe trauma Weylandt's contact with the wall had caused him: had Weylandt survived, injuries to his left foot and lower leg would likely have necessitated their amputation. The Giro d'Italia medical team and Garmin's team doctor performed resuscitation attempts for around 45 minutes, drying Weylandt's lungs, infusing liquids to counteract his large blood loss, and administering adrenaline and atropine to support and restart his heart beat and respiration. Meanwhile, an emergency team was rushing to the incident by helicopter. Upon their arrival, Weylandt was declared dead at the scene due to facial and basal skull fractures, as his injuries were too severe to allow resuscitation. It was determined that his heart had stopped immediately upon impact. Forensic exams the next day found extensive internal organ damage. This autopsy confirmed that the cyclist was "dead on the spot and did not suffer." Weylandt was wearing a helmet, as all professional road cyclists have been obliged to do since May 2003.

Weylandt is the fourth rider to die in the history of the Giro d'Italia.

Weylandt is survived by his girlfriend, An-Sophie, who, at the time of the crash, was five months pregnant with the couple's first child. Their daughter, Alizée, was born on September 1, 2011.