***WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC PICTURES OF FINGER INJURIES***
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has shared photos of his gnarly finger injuries - which he of course sustained after falling off his board.
The 52-year-old had an accident on Saturday which left his fingers 'bending in new directions'.
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He was subsequently driven to the hospital by his eldest son Riley, with whom he had been skating. Upon arrival, a nurse said circulation to his digits was being lost, so he was taken for an X-ray, which you can see here:
Hawk said they had to cut off his wedding ring before Dr Cho could put the dislocated fourth finger back in place. Grim.
Reflecting on the accident the day after, Hawk said he was 'too cavalier' with his approach, explaining how the fall happened with lots of skating parlance I for one do not understand. However, he added that such injuries were part and parcel of the sport and he would most definitely be back on the ramp soon.
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He said: "The session was fun until I did a backside smith stall as a set up for a backside blunt, and suddenly found myself on the flat bottom with my fingers bending in new directions. The coping was huge and I paid the price by hanging up on my back truck.
"In that moment, I regretted not wearing full pads. Ironically, that wouldn't have saved me from injury but I was being too cavalier to think that a wall over 8' with vert was as 'safe' as a mini-ramp.
"The session came to a screeching halt, and Riley drove me to the hospital like Ricky Bobby with a cougar in the backseat."
He continued: "I am filled with divergent emotions: sadness from scaring my son & friends, regret from being cocky/careless, grateful from having an injury that could have been worse, and frustrated that I never got a backside blunt... as my skater ego endures.
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"As pro skaters, we accept that injuries are inevitable and perseverance is key to success. But it still sucks to get hurt, especially at my age. And I'll still be back for more."
Oh, and if you wanted to see one more mingin' picture from after the fall, here ya go:
You're welcome.
Featured Image Credit: PA