IndyCar: Robert Wickens releases statement clarifying ‘paraplegic’ reference

IndyCar driver Robert Wickens has released a statement clarifying what he meant by saying that he is a paraplegic in a recent social media post.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ Robert Wickens, who was severely injured in a crash during the seventh lap of the 200-lap IndyCar race, the ABC Supply 500, at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 19, confirmed Thursday that he is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his involvement in this nasty accident.

However, the 29-year-old Canadian felt that the confirmation of his paralysis was taken the wrong way by many people when he made social media posts referring to himself as a paraplegic.

Here is what his Twitter post had to say about the matter.

Wickens clarified this “paraplegic” reference in a lengthy statement on Friday, which he also posted on Twitter. Here is what he had to say.

The word “paralysis” is defined as “the loss of the ability to move (and sometimes to feel anything) in part or most of the body, typically as a result of illness, poison, or injury”. The word paraplegic is defined as “a person affected by paralysis of the legs and lower body”.

This means that Wickens is a person who is affected by the loss of the ability to move his legs and lower body. But this by no means translates to the idea that his paralysis is permanent, and Wickens’s announcement on Thursday certainly wasn’t confirming this like many people initially believed it was.

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The simple fact that Wickens used the word “paraplegic” is the only reason why it became a news story. Everyone has known that he has been trying to regain movement in his legs ever since the accident happened, and everyone has known since his recovery process started that his goal has been to overcome this paralysis.

Wickens never ever stated that he is permanently paralyzed. As a result, he wanted to make sure that the public knows exactly what he meant by his use of the word “paraplegic” so that it did not get misinterpreted like it had been.

After all, Wickens also stated that he already has most of his feeling and some movement back in his legs, and he has made it his goal to regain enough movement to the point where he can walk again within two years.

The bottom line is something that Wickens stated to clear things up: “People may not be paraplegics forever.”

As always, the thoughts and prayers of us and of the entire IndyCar community continue to be with Robert Wickens and his family, friends and fans as he continues to recover from the injuries that he suffered in this awful wreck and as he continues to work toward walking and racing again.