Lindsey Vonn almost had leg amputated after Olympic crash

An emotional Lindsey Vonn shared Monday on Instagram that she could have lost her left leg following her crash in the Winter Olympics.

Vonn revealed the trauma from the crash led to compartment syndrome in her leg. Compartment syndrome is a condition caused by the building of high pressure within enclosed muscle compartments, which can restrict blood flow and damage nerves and muscles.

The 41-year-old alpine skier expressed her appreciation for Dr. Tom Hackett.

“Dr. Tom Hackett saved my leg,” Vonn said. “He saved me.”

She also said Dr. Hackett would not have been there to save her leg if she had not torn her ACL in the World Cup downhill race. Vonn also broke her ankle in the crash. She said she has transitioned from lying in a hospital bed, almost completely immobile, to moving to a hotel. The next steps in her rehab are going home and progressing from being in a wheelchair to using crutches.

Vonn continued to compete despite her ACL tear, completing multiple training runs just weeks after her injury. Despite Vonn’s resilience, she went down 13 seconds into her downhill run.

Despite the outcome, she still has no regrets. For her, the hard work was worth it. After retiring in 2019 after dealing with severe injuries, Vonn would make a comeback in December 2024 after a successful knee replacement.

Driven by watching the younger skiers compete in 2022, Vonn would begin her quest to compete in the Winter Olympics, 16 years after she won gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Games.

“I’d rather go down swinging than not try at all,” Vonn said. “I think what I was able to achieve was more than anyone expected to begin with.”

Despite being sidelined, she was fully supportive of her teammates.

“It is not the way I wanted to end it, but it has been inspiring to watch my teammates,” Vonn said.