Afrank said:
The accident was gutting.
Now, I'll tell ya - I got slammed by a car at about 24 - compound calf fractures. Actually - the leg was inside out. Gag me, and I was there. But I had no joint damage, which meant I was pretty much good to go after a few months.
Phinney may be different.
1) he is competing at the top levels. Maintaining peak performance at that level of competition is quite difficult already. This may be a complicating factor.
2) Phinney apparently had soft tissue damage. This can change the whole story. In spite of having my leg inside out, and looking at it, I had no tendon or ligament or joint damage (what I am calling soft tissue - not muscle, not bone). Joint damage could be more likely to be a limiting factor in the future. Joint damage does not heal in the way that bones and muscles do.
I can seriously relate to his gratefulness to Euser for sticking by him. You get incredibly emotional in the moment that your body is inside out. It is a REAL big "oh, ****, what did I do now" moment. The only moment bigger is the one you do not survive.