Two horrific crashes in three weeks: a hospital visit to Imanuel Schramm

Imanuel Schramm from Wellmutsweiler near Tettnang and his co-driver Lene Laise from Zweibrücken have been through some painful and terrifying weeks. After initial fears for the worst and several hours in an induced coma, the young woman from the Palatinate recovered quickly following a crash on 18 July in Noordvolde; three weeks later, the pair were back on the track in Bad Hersfeld. There, Schramm and Laise were knocked off their bikes following a pile-up in the first bend; the Swabian fractured both the front and back of his pelvis in the crash. He underwent surgery on 10 August, and four days later the enterprising entrepreneur from Lake Constance discharged himself from hospital on his own responsibility.

“The screw at the back of my pelvis will probably stay in permanently; the plate at the front will be removed after a year,” explained Schramm during a home visit by SPEEDWEEK.com. “Since I was discharged from hospital, my daily routine has consisted of lying down, lying down and lying down. I can’t sit up properly yet; every now and then I get about on crutches or with a walking frame. For six weeks, I’m only allowed to put 20 kilograms of weight on my pelvis – so practically none at all. Last Monday I saw my orthopaedic surgeon, and now I’m starting physiotherapy.”

First and foremost, we’re just glad that Lene survived the accident.

Immel Schramm

‘Immel’ is well aware that he and his passenger Lene were very lucky in both crashes, as they got away with just broken bones. ‘We’ve analysed the accidents in great detail,’ the new owner told the trade journal *Bahnsport aktuell*. “And we’ve discussed what happened and what could have happened. First and foremost, we’re just glad that Lene survived the accident. She could have suffered brain damage or worse. As for me, my accident was also serious at first because I was unconscious for over five minutes; that was very distressing for Lene, as she had to go through exactly what I went through in Noordvolde. Once I’d regained my senses to some extent and was in hospital, it was a relief for her too that I was no longer in any danger. The fractures looked serious at first because I couldn’t move and nobody knew the full extent of the injuries. We had a thorough discussion about everything, and that was also very important.”

Schramm: “Broken bones can be mended”

“Broken bones aren’t that bad; you can patch them up again,” the veteran remarked. “And even if you lose an arm, you get a prosthesis. But you can’t fix a head once it’s gone. We talked about that too. Broken bones are harmless; they hardly bother anyone in motor racing. Of course, it’s a pain and it’s painful. But what goes on during a coma or with brain damage is something you can’t even imagine – not just for the person affected, but for everyone else involved too. You can’t repair damage to the brain.”

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As always after accidents like this, Schramm has to put up with questions about why, at over 50, he’s still racing – and intends to carry on doing so. Financially, there’s nothing to be gained on the grass track, and the idea that his best sporting days are still ahead of him seems rather far-fetched. “I draw my motivation from the fact that I have a new co-driver who, despite her serious accident, is determined to carry on and is fighting for it. In a sidecar, there are two of you – finding someone who isn’t just tagging along for the sake of it, but someone who’s genuinely motivated, is difficult. Something like that is a huge source of motivation.”