Four-time Dakar winner in induced coma after accident

Mathieu Baumel, a four-time winner of the Dakar Rally as a navigator, has been seriously injured in a road car accident.

Travelling to the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique in Reims, Baumel was hit by an oncoming car after he had stopped to help a vehicle that had earlier crashed.

His father, Gerard, confirmed the news to La Provence. 

"He saw a crashed car and stopped to help the people when another car arrived and hit him,” Gerard explained.

"It’s serious, he was conscious when he was hit."

Baumel's exact condition is not known, but La Provence has reported that he is in an induced coma with injuries to both of his legs.

He is regarded as one of the best cross-country navigators in the world, and was associated with Nasser Al-Attiyah for many years during their spells at Volkswagen, Toyota and, Prodrive.