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On her second day back training in her preparations for the 2020 season, Letizia Paternoster was hit by a car at a roundabout near Trentino, Italy, resulting in a fractured left scaphoid and a broken front tooth. She remained conscious throughout, and no concussion was detected.
The accident took place on familiar home roads between Arco di Trento and Riva del Garda around 9:30 AM. Fortunately, neither Paternoster nor the vehicle was traveling at high speed, and the driver immediately stopped to provide assistance until an ambulance arrived.
Trek-Segafredo physician Nino Daniele was in contact with the Arco hospital and confirmed Paternoster's injuries: "Letizia suffered a small detachment on the lateral side of the left-hand scaphoid and a front-tooth fracture which was repaired by her dentist after leaving the hospital. Regarding the scaphoid, the doctors in Arco applied a transitory cast to keep it immobile.
"In the afternoon, Letizia was visited by an orthopedist who confirmed that she does not need surgery. As a precaution tomorrow she will be submitted to an MRI scan, and the cast will be replaced with a small tailored cast. This will allow her to put her hand on the handlebar and ride on a home trainer. The prognosis for full recovery is 30 days."
After her visit to the hospital and dentist, Paternoster explained, "Everything happened so quickly that I was not able to understand. I only reacted with my hand to lessen the fall. When I calmed down, I was able to tell that my head was ok, then I focussed on my hand. Unfortunately, the x-ray confirmed the bad feeling."
Despite the setback, she is maintaining a positive outlook: "The disappointment is huge. Today was only my second day of training after returning from holiday and post-season rest. Of course, it's not the best way to start the new season, but despite everything, I want to look ahead, think positive, and react. A hand fracture must not affect my preparation for the important 2020 season."
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