Driver Richie Silverman, severely injured in a racing accident at the Meadowlands on June 18, is literally starting to take some steps toward a full recovery
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Silverman broke both ankles and had a severe concussion in the accident, which also involved George Brennan, Daniel Dube, Brian Sears, Ron Pierce and Eric Goodell.
“It’s slow, but I am starting to weight bear now,” Silverman said late last week from his Wellington, Florida home. “It’s just slower than I’d like, but we’re making progress. It’s been seven weeks of being totally off my feet in the bed or in a wheelchair. I can’t put any weight at all on my ankles. I just started walking with the walker and am able to put maybe 25 to 50 percent weight at a time. I can walk 10 steps, but it’s better than it was last week.”
Silverman also had a severe concussion and had seizures in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, though the broken ankles continue to be the only long-term problem.
“I am very grateful that this is all that happened; it could have been a lot worse,” he said. “The casts have been off for weeks now. My ankles on their own feel fine. Mobility is what we’re working on now and the only time I’m feeling pain is when I have to put pressure on them. I go out to physical therapy twice a week. I have another doctor’s appointment on Thursday [August 19] so we’ll see if he wants me to do more. I’m reading, watching races on TV. Boredom does come into play.”
Silverman said he is very grateful for the concern expressed by so many people.
“I want to thank everyone,” he said. “The outpouring of support has been very, very heartwarming to me. I’ve been in other accidents in the past, but never received anything on this level from fans to people I’ve known my whole life but haven’t seen in 20 or 30 years. I would say I got somewhere around 100 cards from family, friends, fans and people from harness racing. I truly, truly appreciate it. I just want to convey how appreciated their thoughts have been towards me in this process.”
One notable piece of correspondence is a card from a nine-year-old boy in Illinois, who noted that Silverman was his second favourite driver. “On the bottom he drew a picture of me driving Art Maker; it was so cute,” said Silverman. “He had me on the sulky and above it he wrote the name Art Maker. I am going to write to him and get him an autographed picture. I’ll tell him I’m always OK if I’m his second favourite. I probably have to win a lot more races to be his favourite driver; I’m going to ask him.”
A possible early fall return to the races is Silverman’s goal.
“I’m working towards hopefully being back no later than six weeks from today,” he said. “I’m working hard at it. I have to remember all the pressure that’s on your ankles. It’s not like I broke one ankle. The atrophy in my legs; oh my God. I’ve been working on my upper body, dumbbell work, whatever I can do in my wheelchair, but you can only do so much with the legs. I had skinny legs anyway, but they’re pretty much pencil legs now.
“I am just blessed that I’ve had the support that I’ve had. Thank God for my wife (Beth). Without her and my kids (Cori, 15, and Sara, 10), I cannot tell you where I’d be today. I am going to repay her somehow. They’ve been tremendous.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.