Ezra Caudell Opens Up for First Time About Horror Crash That Saw Him Spend a Month in Hospital

Ezra Caudell is back on social media for the first time since his horrific crash at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic.

The Modern Adventure Pro Cycling rider shared his first personal account of the August 30 crash, and revealed that he can’t remember anything until weeks after the accident.

“I don’t remember anything about the actual crash personally, because I hit my head real good and don’t have much memory of that day entirely,” Caudell wrote. “The first memory I have is from a couple weeks after the crash.”

The 20-year-old will head home to Georgia after weeks in the hospital since the devastating crash that left him with severe lung damage, a brain injury, and fractures to his neck and face.

Caudell said he left rehabilitation Saturday and will continue outpatient treatment in Georgia. He expects to wait until early December for clearance to fly.

Caudell said he can only go off an account from another rider as they tried to bridge across. Evidently, he looked back toward the peloton and hit either a manhole cover or a curb before losing control, with the left side of his body striking the pole.

“I was in a pretty freak accident,” he wrote.

He also described the massive medical effort after he struck a light pole at race speed while trying to bridge to a breakaway.

Caudell said medics inserted a breathing tube in the ambulance that wasn’t removed until September 9.

‘Poles fight pretty good’

Caudell said doctors placed him on a machine that oxygenates blood through a pumping system.

He also recounted the devastating injuries from the impact.

“The lungs were definitely bad, but I also had a Grade 3 DAI brain injury, Paresthesia of my left arm, orbital facial fracture, fractured rib, multiple fractures in my neck, spinal cord injury and some random stuff,” he wrote.

Caudell said he left the hospital exactly a month after the crash and entered rehabilitation to work on everyday functions and regain movement in his left arm.

“Moral of the story is poles fight pretty good when you hit em!” he wrote.

He thanked his parents, friends, team, and everyone supporting his family through his recovery.

“Thanks again for everyone’s messages, support, visits, and prayers it means a lot!”