Cristiano da Matta was walking and talking Thursday, about a month after his car collided with a deer during Champ Car testing at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Da Matta, who drives for Loveland-based RuSport, was unconscious for more than three weeks after the Aug. 3 accident. But Wednesday Champ Car medical director Dr. Chris Pinderski said the Brazilian native made “excellent” progress this week, speaking in two languages and walking with “minimal assistance.”
“Although he is still somewhat confused, he is now conversational in both English and Portuguese, (and) he has started to walk on his own for short periods of time,” Pinderski said in a RuSport release. “We anticipate that Cristiano will be ready to make the transition to a rehabilitation setting next week.”
According to team president Jeremy Dale, Pinderski was summoned to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wis., after da Matta began making substantial progress Sunday.
“We have to be careful what we say because, no matter what we see or hear about Cristiano’s condition, it doesn’t mean anything because we’re not doctors,” Dale said. “But Dr. Pinderski was there Wednesday, and we can now safely say that there’s been big, big progress this week.”
Meanwhile, Dale said his team is hoping to replace da Matta for the final three races, the first of which is at Road America on Sept. 24. RuSport ran a one-car effort in the two ensuing races after da Matta’s accident, including the Aug. 13 Grand Prix of Denver.
“We’re trying to find the right guy to drive the car, and that’s not easy,” Dale said. “We’re not going to put just anybody in there.”
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
