WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Sporting a full beard, James Hinchcliffe flashed a smile as he walked into an interview room without any trace of a limp.
He has come a long way since suffering a life-threatening leg injury during a practice crash in May at Indianapolis. And while Hinchcliffe faces more rehab, a finish line is now in sight for the IndyCar driver.
“I think as far as the doctors are concerned, being ready for offseason testing shouldn’t be a problem,” he said Saturday at the Milwaukee Mile, site of IndyCar’s 250-mile race Sunday.
The goal is to start ramping up rehab and physical therapy after another surgery at the end of the month. For now, Hinchcliffe’s physical activity has been limited at a time of year when he is constantly on the move. A thinner Hinchcliffe said he has lost about 15 pounds.
The 28-year-old driver is grateful for those who have gotten him this far.
“In all honesty, it’s been pretty smooth,” he said. “I’ve been lucky.”
Hinchcliffe got hurt May 18 when a piece of his car’s suspension broke during a crash and pierced his left leg. After acting quickly to extract him from the car, safety crews pumped him with more than 14 pints of blood as they rushed him by ambulance to a hospital.
Hinchcliffe was in critical condition when he went into emergency surgery.
The recovery process has been slow. Mobility is important because doctors want the infused blood to keep flowing since clotting and infection remain concerns.
At the same time, doctors are also being cautious. Sometimes he will disobey orders, like when he went to friend’s house for a Fourth of July party.
Recovery “feels slow for my speed,” Hinchcliffe said, “but the doctors are telling me everything’s going very quickly, so no complaints.”
