We’ve just heard that Matti Lehikoinen has had a pretty serious accident, here’s what they say:

While training and filming with a friend in Helsinki yesterday, Matti
Lehikoinen had an accident that resulted in breaking his back.

Matti was immediately transferred to hospital where a series of scans have
confirmed 3 fractured vertabrae.

He has movemovent in all limbs and is not feeling any numbness, and so at
this point, the prognosis for a full recovery is looking very good. The
doctors are meeting today to decide what the next step will be, insofar as
an operation or other courses of action.

“I spoke to Matti for 10 minutes this morning. He’s in a lot of pain, but he
is remaining completely positive. He told me that he went to go off a very
small drop off, about a meter high, on his home trails when something caught
his rear wheel just as his front wheel left the drop off. The bike pitched
suddenly forward and threw him over the handlebars onto his back. He knew
immediately that he had suffered a severe injury, and remained still as his
mate called for the ambulance. Right now all we can do is wait for more
information from the medical experts, and support Matti, and his family who
have been very shocked by this news,” – Martin Whiteley.

Poeple wishing to send Matti a message can do so through his web site
www.mattilehikoinen.com and we know he will really appreciate hearing from
everyone once he can have access to his phone and computer again, but for
now, the focus is on keeping him comfortable, and getting the prognosis we
all want to hear.