Ashleigh Whitton, Eden Prairie, Minnesota woman competing in West Palm Beach, Florida triathlon left paralyzed from the neck down after a car losing control and entering the closed off course leading to triathlete to crash into vehicle during bike leg. Friends and family mount fundraiser as fitness instructor/mom faces long and uncertain road ahead.
A Minnesota triathlete competing in a Florida triathlon has been left paralyzed after a car lost control and entered the race course and struck the athlete during the bike leg.
Ashleigh Whitton of Eden Prairie, MN, was competing in a West Palm Beach event over the weekend when a car drove onto the course, only for her bike to slam into the vehicle.
Doctors said Whitton, 45, suffered severe spinal cord injuries and is now paralyzed from the neck down. Her recovery is expected to be long, with weeks in the hospital and extensive rehab, according to a fundraiser set up for her.
74-year-old driver enters partially closed race course and strikes triathlete
The GoFundMe campaign had raised nearly $63,000 as of Wednesday noon. Donations will help cover medical costs and family travel expenses.
According to the fundraiser, Whitton, a mother, fitness instructor and active triathlete was competing in the bike portion of the Bill Bone Olympic Triathlon near Okeeheelee Park on Sunday, April 12, when a vehicle driven by a 74-year-old driver entered the partially closed race course and hit her and another bicyclist.
She was airlifted to St. Mary’s Medical Center with life-threatening spinal cord and brain injuries and underwent emergency surgery to stabilize her spine, KSTP reported.
Long and uncertain road to recovery ahead after triathlete is left with critical spinal injury
Doctors have described Whitton’s spinal injury as among the most severe possible, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator in the intensive care unit, the GoFundMe states. She is also battling brain swelling and bleeding and has been placed in a medically induced coma to give her body the best chance to heal.
The campaign, organized by friend Jen Greene and co-organized by Whitton’s husband, Patrick, seeks donations to cover mounting medical and ICU bills, long-term rehabilitation, breathing support, travel expenses for family members and other unexpected costs.
Whitton’s friends and family are rallying around her, saying, ‘Watching people succeed, supporting them, loving them. That is everything she stands for. And it’s our turn to send that back to her.’
Whitton began competing in triathlons a couple of years ago when her daughter went to college. The mom and ‘fierce warrior’ as friends and loved ones described her is expected to negotiate a long and uncertain road ahead.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has said the crash remains under investigation, and no charges have been announced.
