Lindsey Vonn says she almost lost her leg after Olympics crash - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
by Chuck SchilkenFebruary 23, 2026
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Lindsey Vonn, the legendary U.S. ski racer, revealed in a recent Instagram video that she narrowly avoided having her left leg amputated after a devastating crash during the Milan-Cortina Olympics. The accident, which occurred on February 8, left Vonn with a complex tibia fracture, fibular head fracture, and tibia plateau injury, leading to compartment syndrome—a condition where excessive pressure builds up in muscle compartments, potentially causing permanent damage or amputation. She credited Dr. Tom Hackett, her orthopedic surgeon, for saving her leg through a fasciotomy, a procedure that involves cutting open the leg to relieve pressure and allow it to heal.
Vonn’s injuries were compounded by a prior ACL rupture in her left knee during a January 30 crash, just a week before the Olympics began. She explained that this earlier injury indirectly saved her leg, as Dr. Hackett was already part of her medical team for Team USA. Vonn, who returned to competitive skiing after a six-year hiatus and competed in what she called her “fifth and final Olympics,” suffered multiple test runs but lasted only 13 seconds in the downhill race before crashing on the Olimpia delle Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. She was airlifted to a hospital, where she received treatment for compartment syndrome and underwent a blood transfusion to manage her condition.
Currently confined to a wheelchair and facing at least two months on crutches, Vonn described her recovery as “very much immobile.” She noted that it will take approximately one year for her bones to heal fully, after which she may
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Originally published on Los Angeles Times on 2/23/2026