Paralympian Alex Zanardi in 'Very Serious' Condition After Handbike Accident

Paralympian Alex Zanardi is in "very serious" condition following an accident during a handbike race near Pienza, Italy, on Friday.

According to the Associated Press (h/t USA Today), Santa Maria alle Scotte Hospital in Siena, Italy, said Zanardi underwent "a delicate neurosurgery operation" because of "severe cranial trauma."

Zanardi's coach, Mario Valentini, described the circumstances that led up to the accident: "It happened on a slightly downhill straightaway just before a slight curve in the road. Alex veered slightly into the oncoming lane just when a truck came. [The truck] tried to swerve but couldn't avoid the crash."

The 53-year-old Zanardi was reportedly conscious, breathing on his own and talking when medical personnel arrived to load him into an ambulance.

Zanardi, who is a native of Bologna, Italy, began his athletic career as a racecar driver in the 1980s. He competed in both Formula One and the CART Series. Zanardi won the CART series points championship in both 1997 and 1998.

In 2001, Zanardi was involved in a CART Series accident in Germany that caused him to lose his legs.

While Zanardi still did some racing after the accident, with specially adapted controls allowing him to use his arms rather than legs, he primarily transitioned to handcycling. Zanardi has six career Paralympic medals to his credit, including two golds each at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and the 2012 London Games.

Zanardi has also won a bevy of world championship medals. Of his 18 world championship medals, 12 are gold, five are silver and one is bronze.