ACCIDENT IN VAL DI SOLE
“After several years and lots of recovery, I can say I’m recovered”
On Friday, August 23rd, I arrived in Italy for the second round of the Trials World Cup, held in Val di Sole, in the province of Trento.
The competition wrapped up on Sunday, and with our return flight scheduled for Monday night, we decided to make the most of our last day. That morning, my friends Pol Tarrés, Marc Terol, Sergi Llongueras, and I took a cableway at Passo del Tonale, which brought us up to the famous Presena Glacier at 3,000 meters above sea level.
From the cableway station, we noticed a cross perched atop a nearby peak. Since we saw other people heading in that direction, the four of us decided to hike up to it. After reaching the top, we spotted a cave a little further down the mountain. Sergi and I, curious, decided to explore it.
Inside, we found various old items—camping gear, miscellaneous objects, and several cardboard cartridges about 15–20 cm long and around 5 cm in diameter. We walked in a few meters, but the cave didn't go much further, so we decided to head back out.
Sergi was leading the way, and I was right behind him when suddenly I was hit by a blinding light, a deafening noise, and an intense wave of heat. An explosion threw me several meters backward. I immediately realized I was badly injured—blood poured from my face, the fingers on my right hand were severely damaged, my legs were bleeding and burned. My vision was blurry, and I couldn’t hear anything except a loud, piercing ring. Everything around me turned white—I had no doubt something had just exploded.
The other hikers nearby quickly alerted the cableway staff and called emergency services. A helicopter was dispatched while rescue workers helped bring me back down to Passo del Tonale via the cableway. From there, an ambulance rushed me to the waiting helicopter, which flew me to the hospital in Trento.
At the hospital, I underwent extensive testing from early afternoon until around 2:00 a.m. Afterward, I was transferred to the hospital in Rovereto for surgery on my hand and eyes.
When I woke up in the ICU, I couldn’t see—my eyes were completely bandaged. My right hand was wrapped and stabilized with metal rods holding my fingers in place. I could barely hear because both my eardrums had ruptured, and my legs were severely burned. To prevent the sheets from sticking to my wounds, they had constructed a special frame around my bed.
The first week in the hospital was agonizing. I spent four days completely blindfolded, in constant, overwhelming pain. I was heavily sedated just to cope. Not being able to see myself, to understand the full extent of my injuries, made it even more mentally and emotionally difficult.
Now, more than a year later—and after a long, intense recovery process—I can say that I’ve made it through. While I still carry some lasting effects, I consider myself recovered.
