Aintree's darkest day: Critically ill jockey fights for life after BBC is accused

Jockey Peter Toole is in a critical condition in hospital after being hurt in a heavy fall at Aintree on Grand National Day.
Toole was injured when his mount, the outsider Classic Fly, crashed to the ground in the early stages of the John Smith's Maghull Novices' Chase, the 2.15pm race on the card yesterday.
The 22-year-old has been put in a medically-induced coma after he suffered bleeding on the right side of his brain and a dislocated shoulder.
His fall came before two horses died during yesterday’s Grand National in one of the most ‘distressing’ races in recent history.
The 22-year-old Irishman was taken to the nearby Fazakerley Hospital then later transferred to the hospital's Walton Centre For Neurology & Neuro Surgery.
Trainer Charlie Mann, to whom Mr Toole is attached as a conditional jockey, said: 'He's in an induced coma and he won't be brought out until Monday at the earliest.
'He has bleeding on the right-hand side of his brain. He also dislocated a shoulder which has since been put back in place.
'He's on a ventilator, and it's not great - but we won't know any more until Monday.'
Weighing-room colleague David Crosse added: 'Ive spoken to Peter's dad who said he remains stable, but with no improvement.
'He's going to be sedated for 24 hours.'
During the Grand National, millions of TV viewers saw Ornais fall at the fourth fence, breaking his neck, while Dooneys Gate broke his back minutes later at Becher’s Brook.
It meant that for the first time in the race’s history the two fences were bypassed during the second circuit of the Aintree track – as the horses were hastily screened off with tarpaulins.
But the BBC was accused of a ‘cover-up’ after commentator Mick Fitzgerald described the dead horses as ‘obsta


Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375210/Grand-National-2011-Ballabriggs-wins-day-drama-Aintree.html#ixzz1J9j3cOnh

It's appalling really. I feel sorry for the poor horses and jockey.

i feel sorry for the horses, more, x

To be fair I get where the BBC are coming from on this.

I mean say you where the commentator of the race, would you honestly say, during the race, on national tv 'And they are bypassing this jump because one of the Jockeys has broken his neck?'

First of all how would the commentators know less than a minute after the incident occurred that the Jockey had been seriously injured? There is every possibility they didn't know he was even injured.

Also worth noting was that on both jumps a horse was injured too, this is a more common occurrence and much easier information to ascertain quickly.

Horrible for both Jockey and the horses but at the same time I don't think you can blame the BBC or commentators for anything. Really the track should be blamed for being that dangerous surely?

Wait, I've just noticed it's a Daily Mail article, hence why they are blaming the BBC somehow rather than just the track/race itself.

Nothing to do with this story but it pisses me off that boxing consantly gets slated for being a dangerous sport yet horse racing and show jumping (which I think is cruel) gets the thumbs up.

Methinks Rogy lost money on The National.

Not me - I have never placed money on a horse, not even as part of a syndicate.


rogY

Well I won a fair bit yesterday so I'm in a good mood.

I agree, I would have thought the RSPCA would at least have concerns about it. I'm not a crazy PETA person or anything, but the conditions the horses are kept in and the stress they're put under cannot be good.