Francois Duval’s co-driver Patrick Pivato given a 50 percent chance of survival following an accident during the Rally Japan, is on the road to recovery.
The 45-year-old Frenchman was to be airlifted to a hospital in Lyon, France, after waking up from his medically induced coma following a series of operations for internal injuries.
In the accident, Pivato sustained a broken pelvis and a fractured right tibia, which needs a final operation in France to be reset.
The Frenchman had been airlifted to Sapporo’s Higashi Tokushukai hospital Friday afternoon after his car crashed sideways, at high speed, into a roadside barrier on SS6.
Pivato underwent two hours of surgery on Friday evening to repair the broken right tibia and fractured pelvis. During the operation, however, some internal bleeding was discovered and this necessitated a further operation later in the night. The second operation concluded at 0100hrs this morning.
We all wish him a speedy recovery.