Olympic hero Ryan Lochte suffers broken leg after being involved in terrifying car crash picking kids up from school
OLYMPIC swimming legend Ryan Lochte has opened up a harrowing car crash which left him with a broken leg.
The 40-year-old six-time Olympic gold medalist was involved in a serious wreck in November 2023.
On his way to pick up his children from school, Ryan said on the Athletes Only podcast, which was recorded shortly after the incident but only recently released, that a garbage truck was parked “in the street” without any “flashing lights” or “cones.”
While the car in front of Ryan was able to swerve and avoid the truck, he wasn’t so lucky.
Ryan explained how the crash left him with a broken femur and a large gash on his head – damage which was so horrifying to see, friends believed he was dying.
“They’re like, ‘He’s dead. He’s not breathing. He’d dead,” Ryan said.
“Blood gushing from my head. Still have a couple of stitches in there. Broke my femur. Completely broke my femur in half. Totaled my car.”
But as bad as the physical toll was, mentally the accident also left a significant mark.
“I still have some nightmares. It’s been a month, so far,” he explained.
“I still get scared when I, like, go to the car to go to my physical therapy. I still have visions of the wreck.
“I still have visions of white lights flashing in my eyes. Not knowing that I’d wake up and see my family again”
Clearly emotional, Ryan added that now when he wakes up, he’s simply filled with gratitude.
“In the blink of an eye, your life can be over,” he said.
“I’m just so thankful that no one got injured except me and my kids weren’t in the car.”
Remaining positive about the situation, Ryan suggested he must be “a cat that has nine lives. I don’t know what life I’m on now.”
Fast forward to August 2024, and Lochte has come a long way.
His wife Kayla, with whom he has three kids, Caiden, Liv, and Georgia June, recently released an Instagram video, consisting of clips from throughout his recovery.
“Life’s setbacks may knock you down, but they set the stage for an even stronger comeback!” Kayla wrote.
“This guy has been putting in the work one step at a time, literally!”
Beginning with Ryan being pushed into their home in a wheelchair by their son, the reel also shows him gingerly walking in the hospital with a walker.
Later, Ryan was filmed going for a run, with a limp still very clear in his stride.
Ryan also shared this particular clip on his Instagram recently, defiantly commenting that “Rome wasn’t built in a day!”
“Everyday try and get better. Still a ways away. If you’re not trying to better yourself each day then what’s the point!”