Cutters cyclists recovering from head-on collision with car

The three members of the Cutters cycling team who were involved in a collision with a Honda Accord on Ind. 446 on Wednesday are reportedly doing well.

The four riders, who were riding two-by-two, were unable to clear the car’s path, which crossed the median going downhill south bound as the riders pedaled north. Junior Thomas Walsh was able to narrowly miss the car and was uninjured, but his three teammates all made contact with the car.

Freshman Eric Brodell, who hit the car head on and then flipped over the hood, received the worst injuries with a deep laceration to his leg that damaged scar tissue. His first surgery at Bloomington Hospital was completed late Wednesday.

“Surgery went well,” said senior Zach Lusk, who visited his rookie teammate early Thursday. “There was just a lot of debris and blood loss during surgery so they’re going to do another surgery on Friday morning to go back in and clean it out a little bit more to reduce the risk of infection. They’re going to wait until the swelling goes down from that. He needs reconstructive surgery on his MCL.”

Brodell is reported to be in good spirits.

“He’s got a lot of pain, but nothing extraordinary,” Lusk said. “The doctor said it’s pretty normal, and he’s actually doing a lot better than they first suspected he would.”

Senior Eric Young and junior Michael Schroeder were both released from Bloomington Hospital on Wednesday evening. Lusk said the team is communicating through e-mail to stay informed.

Young and Schroeder both awoke to soreness Thursday, Lusk said. Schroeder’s ankle and Young’s elbow and ankles are all swollen.

Young and Schroeder will likely be out three to four weeks, depending on how they feel, Lusk said. Brodell will be out a few months.

“We’re not going to push him into anything with him being a rookie,” Lusk said. “He’s only a freshman. There’s no reason to throw him into the action if he’s not recovered.

"We’re going to take it really easy with him kind of and see how he’s progressing with his recovery. If he’s up to it then yeah, we’ll let him ride, but there will definitely be some restrictions from him. But I can’t see him training at all until January.”