Patryk Budniak was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in the regional capital Poznań after the crash during a speedway league match between Ultrapur Omega Gniezno and Śląsk Świętochłowice on Sunday.
Speedway, a popular sport in Poland, involves riders racing motorcycles without brakes around an oval dirt track.
The accident happened when Budniak’s motorcycle became entangled with that of another rider, Leon Szlegiel, on the second bend of the first lap.
Budniak was thrown over the safety barrier, hit fencing separating the visiting fans’ section and fell into the area of a former parking lot, where he also struck a club van.
His motorcycle flew several meters farther.
A hospital spokeswoman said Budniak underwent a complicated spine operation and remained in serious condition.
“The rider underwent a complicated spine operation and is currently in the intensive care and anesthesiology unit,” she said. “He is in a pharmacological coma, and his condition is still serious.”
The hospital said Budniak also suffered numerous fractures, including fractures of the pelvis and lower limbs.
Andrzej Borowiak, spokesman for police in the western Wielkopolska region, told broadcaster TVN24 that officers in Gniezno had secured documentation about the event, including the track’s approval for competition.
Borowiak said police, acting in coordination with prosecutors, had also secured the motorcycles involved in the crash, along with helmets, personal clothing and riders’ racing suits.
Officers have also collected footage from stadium surveillance cameras.
“All these materials will allow police officers and prosecutors to carry out an analysis, after which further decisions will be made,” Borowiak said.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, eurosport.tvn24.pl