Four-time Dakar winner undergoes amputation after terrible accident

About two weeks ago, it came out that Mathieu Baumel, a four-time Dakar Rally winner as a co-driver, had been seriously injured in a terrible car accident.

The Frenchman was on his way to the Monte Carlo Rally and stopped on the way to help someone by the roadside. At that moment, another car arrived and hit Baumel.

The co-driver was in an artificial coma for a while and has now announced on Instagram that he has had his right leg amputated.

"As you know, 17 days ago, I was involved in a big [and] bad incident on the side of the road and a car crashed into another car that crashed into me," he said on the social media platform from his hospital bed.

"I can tell you that I feel much better, of course, but that I took one big decision. A big decision in my life, to cut my right leg.

"So I will have a new, full carbon system on my new leg, but unfortunately, it will not be my original leg."

He explained he expects he will be able to save his left leg, adding: "I had two, three different surgeries to try to fix my left leg, that should be okay for the future. So we're working out now to keep everything running well. I am confident..."

Baumel shared his thanks for all the well wishes and shows of support, speaking to the "love and power" it has provided him.

"Now, I have only one goal... to be ready for the next Dakar, to be ready to be in the highest of the classification, of course, in the top-level car in the T1 plus [category]," he said.

"And of course, to be ready again with Guillaume de Mevius [his team-mate]," he continued before expressing his feelings of luck, gratitude and that he will provide further information in due course.

View the full video below.