Drivers still in hospital after Bendigo trials incident

Two Victorian harness racing drivers remain in hospital with complications from serious injuries sustained in a horror fall at the Bendigo trials over a week ago (Aug 12).

Ellen Tormey and Tony Xiriha were hurt when Xiriha’s horse fell in front of Tormey’s, and she was then hit from behind by another runner.

Xiriha sustained a broken collarbone in the incident, but his son Ben said the 59-year-old was now facing some complications in recovery.

“It was looking as though he was on the mend, but he’s been getting blood clots which have been getting worse, and his legs are swelling up,” Ben said.

“He has got fluid on the lungs which is putting more stress on his heart so he could be in hospital for a long time yet,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tormey also remains in hospital for longer than anticipated with a traumatic hip injury. She was expecting to be discharged early this week, but says some minor setbacks need to be sorted out first.

The 34-year-old suffered a dislocated and fractured hip, broken ribs and a small tear in her lung and was taken to Bendigo hospital and transferred to the Epworth in Melbourne for surgery late last week.

“It’s not just a simple thing, it’s a trauma injury like someone who’s been in a car crash.  Your body needs time to recover, so I know it’s not going to be a quick road back,” Tormey said.

“The surgery went well, but I’ve had trouble with my blood pressure dropping every time I get out of bed. They’re going to do some more scans to see what’s causing that, whether it’s blood clots or something else, so everything’s a bit up in the air at the moment about when I’ll get home,” she said.

Tormey’s partner Jack Laugher and staffer Liam Older have been managing the workload at the stable while Tormey focusses on her recovery, but the setbacks have also limited her rehabilitation program.

“In reality I can’t really go home until I can manage on my own, because Jack and Liam are away so much,” she said.

“We’ve had to turn out some of the young horses, but the boys have been doing a great job.  Jack’s mum came over (from Tasmania) last week and she’s a ripper – she goes at the pace of five people, and Jack’s dad has been great too.

“Tayla Fellows has helped us out, taking some to the races too, and we’ve had heaps of offers of help which has been lovely. You really find out how many friends you have when something like this happens.”

Tormey said the impact had bent and snapped her joint, with the surgery aimed at limiting the risk of further dislocations and arthritis in future.

“I had a few emotional days early on, but I’ve really accepted now that it will take as long as it takes,” she said.

Tormey recorded a career-high 160 driving wins last season, and had been on track for another terrific season, with 82 wins so far.

“I’m not allowed to do anything weight bearing for six weeks but it’ll be months before I can drive again.  And I’m definitely not in any rush to get back to that side of things.  I just want to be able to help out. If I can get back and just drive the jogger that’ll help.  But once I am on the road to recovery hopefully there’ll be no stopping me!”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink