Nasty injuries are not uncommon in winter sports, but a Polish short-track speed skater suffered one of the scariest at the Winter Olympics on Friday when she fell and was hit IN THE EYE by a competitor's skate.
[Warning, it's really gross. If you're the squeamish type, you might want to look away. It's not for the faint of heart]
Told you.
ESPN reported on the horrifying accident:
Short track speedskater Kamila Sellier of Poland was immobilized on a stretcher and wheeled out of the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Friday night after a competitor's blade sliced her above her left eye during the women's 1,500 meters at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Sellier went down along with 15-time Olympic medalist Ariana Fontana of Italy and American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold, who was penalized for an illegal lane pass that contributed to the accident. That kept her from advancing through the quarterfinal round.
Miraculously, Sellier's eye was unharmed, despite the nasty gash she received.
Polish officials said Sellier's eye was OK. She received stitches at the arena before going to the hospital for more tests.
It doesn't get much closer than that.
It does make you wonder how there aren't more frequent hideous injuries in a sport in which athletes fly around an ice rink at 30 MPH in tightly huddled masses with razor-sharp blades strapped to their feet.
