Leading harness trainer and driver Ted Demmler suffered serious injuries in a fall at Warragul last week.By Kyle Galley
LEGENDARY trotting driver Ted Demmler remains in the Intensive Care Unit in Melbourne’s The Alfred hospital following a sickening race fall at last Friday’s Warragul race meeting.
The 60-year-old Carrum Downs horseman suffered four broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken bone in his neck, but was cleared of bleeding on the brain after the horrifying incident.
Demmler was thrown several metres into the air and landed heavily after his horse, Desert Red, crashed into another fallen runner less than 30 seconds after the start of the seventh race.
Fellow reinsman Chris Alford, whose horse Summer Reign fell in front of Desert Red, was also thrown from his cart, landing beneath the running rail. He suffered minor rib soreness and was released from the West Gippsland Hospital later in the evening.
Demmler was not so lucky, however, as another horse travelling immediately behind him could not avoid running over the stricken driver.
He was unconscious when rushed to the West Gippsland Hospital, where he underwent X-rays.
His son Craig, who also drove in the event, accompanied his father to hospital.
Demmler was transferred by air ambulance to The Alfred hospital late on Friday night and has since improved and was moved from intensive care on Monday.
“There’s a long way to go, but it’s good to get him out of intensive care,” Craig said.
“He’s still in a pretty bad way, but thankfully the scans have revealed no bleeding on the brain which was a concern over the weekend. He’s got a broken bone in his neck, but has been able to move his arms and legs. He’s also got a punctured lung and a few broken ribs.”
The Demmlers have been overwhelmed by the number of well wishers who have called to offer their support.
“It’s been pretty overwhelming and just shows the level of respect he has in the industry,” Craig said.
Demmler was wearing a compulsory safety vest and helmet at the time of the incident.
Stewards subsequently abandoned the race after only four of the 10 starters escaped interference.
Demmler has driven more than 3000 winners in a stellar career, however he had scaled back his driving involvement in more recent times. On Friday he was helping Drouin West trainer Gary Quinlan, who had two horses engaged in the one event. The winner of more races at Warragul than any other driver, Demmler had his first-ever race drive at Warragul in 1964. He was also hospitalised for several weeks and considered ending his career around 10 years ago after another race fall at Warragul.
Friday’s accident marred an otherwise successful day for the Warragul Harness Racing Club, which was celebrating the 66th anniversary of its first trotting meeting.
Locally prepared horse Genghis Yankee was one of three winners for leading driver Jodi Quinlan at the meeting.
Genghis Yankee, trained at the track by David Punch, won the Mike North Sales Pace to complete Quinlan’s treble, after her earlier wins with La Venganza and Savannah Lombo, both trained by Gary and Debbie Quinlan.
The meeting also featured the 66th Anniversary Pace, won by Perazzi, the second leg of a driving double for popular horseman David Miles.
Another Gippsland winner at the meeting was Life Of Gold. Prepared at Longwarry by Mick Hughes, the filly looks to have a promising future.
The next Warragul meeting will be on Sunday evening, 11 December, featuring the $8000 Eddie Evison Memorial Trotters Cup.
