Olympic skiing legend Lindsey Vonn has revealed she came frighteningly close to losing her leg after a devastating crash during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. In a heartfelt message shared on social media, the 41-year-old thanked the medical team especially her surgeon for what she called a “life-saving” intervention.
Vonn’s ordeal began during the women’s downhill event on February 8, when she clipped a gate just seconds into her run and crashed hard, suffering multiple injuries. While rescuers airlifted her from the course, the most serious threat emerged later: she developed compartment syndrome in her left leg, a dangerous condition in which swelling and trapped blood can cut off circulation and lead to permanent damage.
In her Instagram update, Vonn credited Dr. Tom Hackett, an orthopedic surgeon with Team USA, for performing an emergency fasciotomy a surgical procedure that relieved pressure in her injured leg. “He saved my leg from being amputated,” Vonn said, describing how the surgery allowed blood flow to return and prevented what could have been a devastating outcome.
Vonn explained that Hackett happened to be in Italy because she had torn her ACL shortly before the Games a twist of fate she said played a crucial role in having the surgeon close at hand when she needed him most. In addition to the compartment syndrome and broken tibia, Vonn also suffered a broken ankle and significant blood loss, requiring multiple surgeries and a blood transfusion during her stay in a hospital in Treviso.
Now discharged from the hospital and beginning the long road of rehabilitation, Vonn is focused on recovery. Still immobile and using a wheelchair, she says it will take around a year for the bones in her leg to heal before doctors can address her ACL. Despite the severity of her injuries and the emotional challenge of the accident, Vonn said she has no regrets about her comeback attempt at the Olympics and is determined to keep fighting.
“I wish it had ended differently, but I’d rather go down swinging than not try at all,” she wrote, reflecting her competitive spirit and resilience as she faces months of recovery ahead.
