Lindsey Vonn says surgery saved her from having her left leg amputated following Olympic crash

Associated Press (AP)CenterEN 4 min read 100% complete by 2 MIN READFebruary 23, 2026 at 04:53 PM

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Lindsey Vonn revealed that she almost lost her left leg following a crash during the women's downhill race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on February 8th. The crash caused a complex tibia fracture and led to compartment syndrome, a condition where excessive pressure restricts blood flow. Vonn credited orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tom Hackett for performing a fasciotomy, a procedure to relieve the pressure and restore blood flow, ultimately saving her leg from amputation. Vonn stated that Hackett was present at the Olympics because she chose to compete despite tearing her ACL shortly before the event. She shared this information in an Instagram post, explaining the severity of the injury beyond the initial fracture.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

VAIL 30% Team USA 40% Milan Cortina Olympics 50% Dr. Tom Hackett ×360% Italy ×460% United States ×370% Cortina d'Ampezzo ×470% 2026 Winter Olympics ×380% Lindsey Vonn ×9100%

Keywords

lindsey vonn 100% leg amputation 90% olympic crash 80% surgery 70% compartment syndrome 70% alpine ski 60% fasciotomy 50% dr. tom hackett 50% tibia fracture 50% winter olympics 40%

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Positive

Score: 0.20

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Source

Associated Press (AP)

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Cortina d'Ampezzo

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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lindsey vonn leg amputation olympic crash surgery compartment syndrome alpine ski fasciotomy dr. tom hackett tibia fracture winter olympics

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