Jockey Kelsey Hannan, 21, ‘grateful to be alive’ after horrific fall left her in a coma

A JOCKEY who was left fighting for her life after a sickening fall says she is just ‘grateful to still be here’.

Kelsey Hannan, 21, was airlifted to hospital with a broken back after being launched head-first into the turf when her horse cannoned into another.

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The 21-year-old jockey was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries[/caption]

The jockey had been racing in Adelaide, Australia, when the devastating fall occurred – but is already planning when she can get back into the saddle.

Hannan said: “It could have been a lot worse, and I could not have been here so I just have to be grateful that I am still here.

“It does happen so it’s just something we have to work around and use it as a bit of fuel to get back and get hungry for more wins.

“As long as it doesn’t kill me, I’ll always get back on.”

Hannan’s traumatic fall came just three months after she broke her jaw and had to have a gruesome surgery involving the insertion of screws and a plate into her face after being headbutted by a horse.

During her recovery period she said: “It was very gutting but with horses these things happen and you can’t really tell when it’s going to happen.

“The swelling is going down, I’ve got a big, ugly bruise on my chin but overall I think the healing is going OK.”

“I’m on a puree diet for six weeks.”

When she finally got back to the track, the young jockey was flying high, landing an impressive six winners in four weeks, before disaster struck again on horse Iva Dream.

Fortunately the horse was unharmed, although did sustain minor cuts to her legs. 

Now Hannan is set for another lengthy recovery period before returning to race again. 

She added: “To start off with, it’s three months and then I suppose we see how we go from there.”