It is a series of events you couldn’t make up but when jockey Chris Meehan got kicked in the face following a fall on Sunday (3 July), his day was about to get a whole lot worse.
Having taken a bad tumble, the racecourse ambulance coming to his aid then ran over the Northern Irishman’s leg.
Chris has spent the summer riding in Italy and the accident happened during a hurdle race at Merano, when his mount fell and booted him in the face. The kick knocked the jockey out initially and caused substantial injuries including a broken nose and a gash to the jaw requiring 27 stitches.
But it was the next turn of events that proved to be the most bizarre. On arrival, the ambulance managed to reverse over Chris’ leg while the jockey lay on the turf — already in plenty of pain.
“They stopped it on top of my leg so I started screaming — it broke it straight away. Everyone had to push it off me. You have to laugh really,” Chris told The Racing Post.
The 22-year-old is due to return to Ireland this week for surgery to both his leg and face and will be sidelined for two months.
Following a stint riding on the Flat, the jockey has recently taken out his licence again and hopes to return to jump racing.
Ironically, his family — including his father, brother and aunt — are all “ambulance people”.
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“My father actually teaches most people in Northern Ireland and England how to drive an ambulance. It’s bizarre — you couldn’t make it up,” he said.
Somehow, the jockey from County Down has managed to put on a brave face and see the funny side of the unusual scenario, despite suffering these unpleasant injuries.
