Brook MacDonald crashed hard during training at the UCI World Champs in Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec, Canada.

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MacDonald crashed on a root section near the La Tarzan rock drop seciton of the notoriously fast Mont-Sainte-Anne course. This section had already been the scene of several other heavy crashes from other racers, most notably Scotland’s Reece Wilson who suffered concussion as the result of his spill.

Initially, MacDonald reported not being able to feel his legs but apparently some sensation returned during the subsequent hours. MacDonald is now in hospital undergoing surgery.

MacDonald’s prolonged wait for a helicopter was due to the way the emergency services operate in the Quebec province of Canada. Essentially, if the incident is ‘life-threatening’ then the Canadian Army deals with it. If the incident is not life-threatening then it’s down to a privately run medical service to respond. MacDonald’s injury was not deemed life-threatening and so he had to endure a four hour wait for Air Medic service.

msmondrakerteam: “@brookmacdonald6 crashed hard in today‘s training in his first run and caused a spinal injury. for several reasons it took the local medical service unacceptable 4 hours to evacuate Brook from the hill.

“the current situation is:
Brook has fractured two vertebrae’s and he will undergo surgery soon. He is in quite good condition and getting to MRI now.

“we keep you informed.”

brookmacdonald6: “Thank you everyone for all the love and support, I will keep you updated when I can. Surgery is the next step today ❤️❤️❤️”

As a result of this crash – and the four hour wait for a helicopter – the event organisers are now paying for a helicopter pilot to be stationed at the nearest helicopter base for the duration of the event. This reduces rescue time to around 50 minutes. Obviously, any life-threatening injuries will be dealt with by the army who should be on-site in around 20 minutes.

The event organisers have also removed some roots from the La Tarzan section that have been deemed to be a main cause of the crashes in that section.

All of us at MBR wish Brook a speedy and full recovery.