Campbell Injuries More Severe Than Thought

Even though his injuries turned out to be more severe than originally thought, harness racing’s all-time leading driver, John Campbell is on the mend at his

New Jersey home. It was reported that Campbell suffered a broken right shoulder and right knee in the Memorial Day accident at Chester Racetrack.

“I’ve got cracked ribs and a broken collarbone,” said Campbell, “but they are underneath the broken shoulder blade, so I can’t really differentiate between the different pains, but the pain has subsided quite a bit. I got off the pain medication a couple of days ago.”

He added that his mobility, while still very limited, is improving. “I can move around a little better than I could the first few days, obviously,” he said. “But I have a broken bone in my knee that I’m not going to be allowed to put weight on for another eight weeks. I can’t use crutches, I basically can get from the bed to the wheelchair, to another chair and back to the bed. I can’t navigate the stairs, although I did manage to when I first got back from the hospital. I can’t even get one of those little scooters because of the position it would put my broken knee in.”

Campbell added that the forced inactivity is hard to take. “Am I going stir crazy? Pretty much, yes. But the kids are here all the time and I’ve gotten lots of cards, calls and texts so that has been great. The support I’ve gotten has been tremendous. And of course Paula has been great.”

Mohawk Racetrack is set to race a multi-million card in just a few days, topped by the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup. Campbell, who has won the race six times, said that he cannot recall if he has ever been forced to watch it from the sidelines. He also notes that the timing of the accident could not be worse as the stakes season looms, but he is remaining philosophical.

“It is what it is, there’s nothing anyone can do. I have to just wait it out,” he said, noting that his recovery time is still uncertain. “I am having more tests done on my knee and as long as there is no soft tissue – ligament - damage on that, I won’t need any surgery. We find that out next week. All the bone breaks will heal on their own, but they are just going to be slow doing it.”

An avid hockey fan, Campbell is following the Stanley Cup finals between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks which is currently tied at two games apiece.

"I'm rooting for Vancouver," he said. "But it's been a good series."

(Harnessracing.com)

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