American ice dancer Melissa Gregory was alert at a Quebec City hospital after taking a bad fall Sunday at the Skate Canada International event.
Gregory suffered the injury during warm-ups as her partner, Denis Petukhov, and the Quebec crowd looked on with concern.
Melissa Gregory is wheeled off the ice after partner Denis Petukhov lost his balance and dropped her on Sunday at the Skate Canada International event in Quebec City.
(Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)
The husband and wife pair, who stood fourth heading into the free dance, were attempting a rotation lift when it appeared Petukhov caught an edge while holding Gregory with one arm and dropped her chest-first.
Petukhov got up slowly to see his partner on the ice motionless for several moments before medics rushed to her side. Gregory was then wheeled off the ice with her neck strapped onto a stretcher and sent to hospital for further observation.
Gregory was taken to L'Enfant Jesus, a well-known trauma hospital.
Dr. Pierre Fremont, the event's chief medical officer, later reported that "her vital signs are stable."
"She is responsive and alert and undergoing further tests," Fremont said in a news release.
After Gregory's accident on Sunday, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir went on to capture the gold medal in Quebec City with a total score of 197.07.
Gregory, 26, from Highland Park, Ill., and Russian-born Petukhov, 29, teamed in 2000 and were married the following year. Petukhov received U.S. citizenship in February 2005.
The American team finished 14th at the 2006 Olympics and 10th during last season's world championships in Tokyo.
With files from the Canadian PressRelated
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