Posted at 1:22 a.m., Friday, June 15, 2007
Jockey paralyzed from waist down
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Jockey Andrew Lakeman is paralyzed from the waist down following a spill during a race at Belmont Park last month, the Daily Racing Form reported.The 32-year-old Lakeman was told by doctors at North Shore University Hospital on Wednesday night he would not be able to walk again, a friend of the jockey said in a report posted Thursday night on the Form's Web site.
"Andrew was very frustrated, very angry, and very scared hearing this all of a sudden," said Tom Daughn, who told the Form he is a close friend of the jockey. "They needed to sedate him a little bit. I told him we'll work through this."
The spill occurred May 25, when Lakeman's mount, Our Montana Dream, clipped heels with a horse in front of him, and Lakeman was thrown hard to the ground.
Lakeman also fractured his sternum, punctured a lung, broke several ribs and has pneumonia, Daughn told the Form.
On Wednesday, the Backstretch Employee Service Team established the Andrew Lakeman Assistance Fund to help offset his medical expenses.
