Former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden has died five days after the American was hit by a car while cycling in eastern Italy, his Honda World Superbike team said in a statement on Monday.
“It is with great sadness that Red Bull Honda ... has to announce that Nicky Hayden has succumbed to injuries suffered during an incident while riding his bicycle last Wednesday,” the team said. “Nicky passed away at 19:09 this evening at Maurizio Bufalini hospital in Cesena. His fiancee Jackie, mother Rose and brother Tommy were at his side.”
The 35-year-old had been in intensive care with severe brain damage since he was struck by a car while training on his bicycle along Italy’s Adriatic Coast.
Photo: AP
The force of the impact shattered the car windscreen.
The last medical bulletin from the hospital on Saturday said Hayden remained in a critical condition. The hospital had previously said he had suffered serious brain damage in the accident.
Hayden last raced in the MotoGP championship in Spain in September last year as a stand-in for injured Australian Jack Miller for the Marc VDS Honda team. He started 216 races between 2003 and 2015, winning three.
“Although this is obviously a sad time, we would like everyone to remember Nicky at his happiest — riding a motorcycle,” his brother, Tommy, said in the team statement. “He dreamed as a kid of being a pro rider and not only achieved that, but also managed to reach the pinnacle of his chosen sport in becoming world champion. We are all so proud of that.”
Italian newspapers reported on Monday that investigators had found video of the accident from a camera on a house overlooking the road.
They said the images suggested Hayden had failed to stop at an intersection and was hit by a passing car.
There was no immediate confirmation of the report from investigators.
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