Distressing details have emerged of the accident that left Italian golfer Andrea Pavan seriously injured after he fell down a lift shaft during a ‘freak’ incident.
The two-time DP World Tour winner, 36, is understood to have fallen two or three floors down the shaft after doors opened without the lift car itself appearing.
The incident happened in his private accommodation ahead of the South African Open, which he has had to withdraw from. It is understood that he moved forwards into the shaft without realising the car wasn’t there.
Pavan is said to have sustained multiple injuries, revealing on Friday that he has had shoulder and back surgery, and a former coach has said he feels ‘lucky to be alive.’
‘I would like to say a big thank you for all the kind words and wishes I have received over the last 48 hours,’ Pavan said in a statement released by the DP World Tour. ‘I had surgery on my shoulder and my back on Wednesday evening and I am currently recovering in hospital.
‘I now have a lot of rehab and hard work ahead of me, but the care I have received so far from the Mediclinic hospital staff has been incredible, as has the support from the DP World Tour, the Sunshine Tour and all their staff here in Stellenbosch. I am also very grateful for all the help Johann Rupert and his wife Gaynor have given me.
Harrowing details have emerged of the freak incident that saw Italian golfer Andrea Pavan fall down a lift shaft
Pavan, pictured with his family, is said to have tumbled down two to three floors in the terrifying fall
‘The last two days have been difficult, but I am in very good hands and to have so many players, caddies and staff visit and contact me has meant a lot to me.
‘Grazie mille everyone, from me, my wife Audra, and my entire family.’
JT Higgins, who is a former college coach of Pavan’s, meanwhile, told Golf Channel: ‘By all accounts, he’s in good spirits, thankful to be alive and FaceTiming with his kids.’
Both players and friends are said to have visited the star in hospital, with his wife, Audra, travelling from Texas to be by his side.
Pavan’s Texas A&M team-mate Matt Van Zandt has set up a GoFundMe page to help the expenses facing the Italian and his family, and said that he expects the golfer ‘to remain in South Africa for many weeks before he can be safely evaluated for travel back to the U.S.’
