Jockey Martin Garcia credited his helmet with saving his life after a six-horse spill at Churchill Downs in a recent interview with Thoroughbred Daily News.
According to TDN, Garcia suffered six broken ribs, four cracked vertebrae, and a punctured lung in the accident on Sept. 19, but came away from the incident without a head injury. Garcia was aboard 2-year-old Steve Wood in the accident, and told TDN he remembers a horse falling in front of him, then his back, head, and face being stepped on.
“That helmet definitely saved my life,” Garcia told TDN. “If somebody asked me about my helmet, I would tell them to buy the best helmet because a lot of them out there just break with anything. You have to know how they are going to react to impact.”
Garcia, 41, has won 1,856 races since 2005. He has won five Breeders’ Cup races and the 2010 Preakness aboard Lookin at Lucky, all for trainer Bob Baffert.
Read more at thoroughbreddailynews.com.
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