Kato Condition Update

[f1manoz]

MotoGP officials have offered the following latest information about the accident suffered by Daijiro Kato during today's Japanese Grand Prix, at Suzuka, and his current condition.
"We don't know what caused the crash, but what we all know is that it was in the braking zone approaching the chicane," explained Race Director Paul Butler.

"There are no marks on the track and, as we always do in these cases, we have reviewed the video evidence from the live television feed and the closed circuit cameras but frankly we are none the wiser to what caused this very tragic accident to happen. This accident could have occurred at any circuit in the world.

"I would like to add that we are all thinking about Kato-san at this time and our sincere thoughts go out to his family, friends and team."

"The first news we received from the medical team on the track was that Kato's heart had stopped, and he was unconscious," added Medical Director Claudio Macchiagodena. "Only fast action in the ambulance to resuscitate his heart gave him the chance to fight for his life, and when he arrived at the hospital he was in a slightly improved condition.

"There is no diagnosis in this situation, only the intention to save Kato's life. The hospital scans confirmed serious injuries to his head, chest and neck," warned Macchiagodena. "He is now in intensive care fighting for his life."

I'll be up all night so I will try and keep you posted on any developments.

[asha]

i had such a bad feeling when i saw that.

I'm really worried about that little guy

*trying to be positive!!

[Winther]

Yes I sure hope that he will get through this!!
It would be a real shame if he died.

[Asp]

Eurosport News reported earlier today that he had a 15% chance of survival . Not good news at all.

[asha]

okay, i've lifted all this from colin edwards' site messageboard.
http://www.colinedwardsii.com/phorum...&i=9343&t=9343

Cyclenews.com....

Dr. Claudio Macchiagodena, the Clinica Mobile medical director, described the immediate aftermath of the accident.

“Immediately when the incident happened, the medical personnel on the track informed me that it was a very serious incident, that Kato was unconscious and in coma, and immediately he was transported to ambulance.

“Reanimation maneuvers for cardiovascular have been performed in the ambulance and immediately when he has arrived at the medical center they have continued with this rehabilitation. What they realized at the medical center, both the Japanese crew and the Clinica Mobile crew, is that it was absolutely serious, very, very serious and only very fast action for rehabilitation and recovering the beating of the heart, only the fast action allowed the recovery of this heart beating.”

After being stabilized at the infield medical care center. Kato was flown by helicopter to Mie Medical Center in nearby Yokkaichi.

“In this kind of circumstance there’s no diagnosis, there’s only the intention of saving the life of the patient. What he can say is today this was successful in saving the life of the patient at the hospital and when he was transported to the hospital his health condition were improved from what he had when he arrived at the medical center.

“Once Kato was transported to the hospital, confirmation about the first impression at the medical center on the circuit about the serious injuries of the head and the chest and the neck were confirmed by the scans at the hospital. Everything was confirmed about the serious of his condition and now Kato remains in intensive care and he’s fighting for his life.

“The medical forecast is always difficult always to say but we all know what happens with riders and they have used us to give surprise and maybe this is also the case, but the situation is that right now Kato is fighting for his life,” Macchiagodena said, adding that he would try to provide updates if there was a change in Kato’s condition.

The crash was at least the second serious crash of the weekend at a circuit that came under fire from both World Champion Valentino Rossi and former World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. Fortuna Yamaha’s Marco Melandri broke his right ankle in two places and chipped his femur in a practice crash on Friday. Rossi said he was going to write a letter to the series safety director asking that the corner where Melandri crashed, which was not where Kato fell, be altered'

--------------

Team Suzuki’s John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts Jr. were both frustrated, some the reasons the same, some different. Of the two, Roberts Jr. had the greater grievance, the former world champion railing at the safety of the Suzuka Circuit.

There were a number of serious crashes this weekend, the worst suffered by Telefonica MoviStar Honda’s Daijiro in front of Roberts Jr. during the MotoGP final. For unknown reasons, Kato crashed into the wall to the left of the entrance into the chicane. Dr. Claudio Costa, the head of the Clinica Mobile, said that Kato’s heart stopped and his breathing stopped as soon as he hit the wall. He had a heart massage on the spot and his heart was beating when he reached the infield care center. Costa said his reflexes were feeble, a sign of severe head trauma. Kato was airlifted to Mie Medical Center in nearby Yokkaichi where he was undergoing further treatment.

“Basically, somebody needs to get fired over this or somebody needs to get their ass kicked, because everybody that’s crashed this weekend has hit a wall,” he said after finishing 14th, one spot behind his teammate. “And you can’t say any particular place. You just to say everywhere.”

The new Suzuki has shown itself to be down on power and Roberts Jr. felt threatened by the number of riders passing him at speed. In addition, he was finding a false neutral coming onto the straightaways.

“Sete (Gibernau) outbroke me down the back straight corner and when him and I were coming out I saw Kato’s bike just go directly left into the wall which is a meter and half” off the track surface, Roberts Jr. said. “Basically when him and the bike hit the wall they just started continually like cartwheeling into the wall. And then his f&*%ing body came back across the track, more than three-quarters of the way back onto the track. And I’m trying to brake as hard as I can and move to the right, which is the inside of the chicane, to avoid his body. And the race should’ve been stopped. They just picked him up and threw him on a stretcher which is typical around here.

“Today was a total disgrace. Today, the last three days of us testing here and the guys getting hurt here is just wasting people. It’s just a joke. And that’s all I got to say,” he added.

[asha]

Times like these, i really miss Barry Sheene

[Raven]

It's awful. I tuned in this morning hoping to see Daijiro win the race, and he was coming through nicely as well. I really really hope he can make it through this. I know he has a wife and a little toddler, and my thoughts are with them.

[elf Tyrrell]

This is just horrible

[MichaelH]

this is terrible.....I hope to God he survives. The sport would be much poorer without him, by all accounts a lovely guy as well as a fantastic rider.

[LucaBadoer]

Come on Daijiro - you can get through this.

[BootsOntheSide]

I'm nto a praying man, but I really hope he's okay. The aftermath looked nasty, we didn't see the actual crash but that may be a blessing. 15% doesn't sound good though.

[Winther]

Maybe the quick reviving will help him later on?
I sure hope that he will make it, when was the last time we had a fatal accident in GP racing?

[asha]

Rossi had called the bend where Kato crashed "too dangerous" over the weekend.

The Italian said after the race: "[The win] is special for Honda and 25 points for me at the beginning of the championship is important. But after hearing about Kato nothing is very important.

"The victory means nothing at the moment and all our thoughts are with Kato-san."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/moto...es/2921943.stm

[asha]

Hi to all
Today was not a happy day, wasn’t it? During the race we did not get what happened, just after we were told that Kato crashed badly and his conditions where serious......
This thing of Kato made me really sad. The race and all the rest is quite less important in these moments.
max


http://www.max-biaggi.com/english/ul....48Suzuk&cat=1

[CleanTone]

I am very very sorry for what happened to Kato. I read that he will be quadrupledgic anyway if he survives(let's all pray to that). It has really been a black weekend for the entire motorsport: see Melandri, Alonso...

PS: I know I am cinical, but if it was Tamada or Seriwaki, I think all of us would be sorry then forget about it, but Kato was...is such a talent and I feel very sorry for the Japanese since they put their hope in Kato delivering that illusive riders championship