The ”fastest man on no legs”, Oscar Pistorius, is racing towards full recovery after being discharged from hospital following a boating accident, Milpark Hospital said on Thursday.
”He left us in good spirits and literally thanked everybody, from the doctors and nurses to the security guards,” said hospital spokesperson Amelda Swartz.
Pistorius (22) was discharged late on Wednesday and was recovering at home with family, Swartz said.
”His face is still a bit swollen after he received facial surgery to repair the fractures on his cheek bones and nose, but according to his doctors, he will recover well.”
Swartz said Pistorius was lucky not to have sustained serious head injuries.
”He did have a bump, and was initially treated for head injuries, but we later found that he just required facial surgery.
She said Pistorius was due for a check-up in the coming week.
He was airlifted to Milpark Hospital on Saturday after a boating accident on the Vaal River. A passenger on the boat was slightly hurt.
According to reports in the Star, his manager Peet Van Zyl, said: ”All he [Pistorius] could do was sleep.”
Van Zyl also criticised the media for speculating over allegations that the Paralympics champion had been drinking when his boat struck a yet-to-be-identified object in the water.
Empty bottles were found in the boat after it was recovered from the bottom of the Vaal River on Monday.
”That’s the problem with South African media. They don’t get their facts [straight] and they love to speculate,” Van Zyl said.
Van Zyl said that Pistorius had given his statement to police.
Vaal police spokesperson Superintendent Maria Mazibuko said on Wednesday that police were investigating a case of reckless or negligent driving. She could not say if alcohol played a role in the accident. — Sapa