Amateur Prendergast making progress after Ballingarry fall

Shane Prendergast, the 19-year-old amateur rider who suffered serious back injuries in a fall at a point-to-point at Ballingarry, County Limerick early last month, is making slow but steady progress in the Midlands Hospital in Tullamore, according to Turf Club chief medical officer Dr Adrian McGoldrick yesterday.

Prendergast fractured his T6 and T7 vertebrae and was also put in an induced coma for a short period following his fall.

McGoldrick said: "Shane visited the Mater Hospital in Dublin yesterday to have a back brace fitted before returning to Tullamore Hospital where he will continue his recovery. He will probably require the brace for three to four months, depending on how the bones heal.

"He's making slow but steady progress. There was no need for him to have surgery and that is why he wasn't transferred to the Mater."