Motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss is recovering in hospital after breaking both his ankles in a fall down a lift shaft at his home.
Former F1 driver hospitalised after accident at home
Motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss is recovering in hospital after breaking both his ankles in a fall down a lift shaft at his home.
The 80-year-old was admitted to the Royal London Hospital on Saturday evening after falling three storeys at his house in Mayfair, central London.
The accident happened when he opened the lift door and stepped forwards but due to a malfunction the lift had stopped on the floor above.
Moss suffered two broken ankles, four broken bones in his foot, skin aberrations and four chipped vertebrae in the accident. He was later moved to the Princess Grace Hospital for further treatment.
Comfortable
An update on Moss' official website confirmed he was "comfortable and recovering" after surgery to both ankles.
"His immediate family were present with him at the time of the accident," read the statement.
"Paramedics were called and he was taken to the Royal London Hospital. He remained conscious throughout.
"With the assistance of [former FIA medical delegate] Professor Sid Watkins, he was moved on Sunday to a hospital closer to his home where he underwent surgery on both his ankles, which were plated and pinned."
According to the statement, the accident occurred "when the door to the lift, that should have remained locked if the lift was not on the floor that it was called from, opened in error.
"He stepped into the narrow open shaft in the expectation that the lift would be present for him to walk into, as it should have been."
Lady Moss, Stirling's wife, added: "This was a very unfortunate accident. It could have just as easily been another member of the family stepping into where the lift should have been."
Recovery
Medical staff expect it will take up to six weeks for him to recover from his injuries.
Moss is widely regarded as the best driver never to have won the Formula One championship, racing at the same time as one of the all-time greats, Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio.
The Briton lost the title by a single point to compatriot Mike Hawthorn in 1958, despite winning four races to his rival's sole victory.
Winner of 16 grands prix, he finished overall runner-up on three more occasions and retired after a crash at Goodwood in 1962.
