Lava Man's groom seriously injured

[philcski]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

Tragic.


DRF.....


Lava Man's groom seriously injured
By JAY PRIVMAN and BRAD FREE

DEL MAR, Calif. -- Noe Garcia, the long-time groom for the popular Lava Man, was seriously injured in an auto accident en route to work at Del Mar early Monday morning, trainer Doug O'Neill said late Monday afternoon.

According to O'Neill, Garcia lost his left arm in the accident.

Garcia had taken Sunday off and returned to his Los Angeles-area home. He was near Del Mar when the accident occurred, O'Neill said.

Garcia, 39, is in the intensive care unit of Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., O'Neill said.

Lava Man won the Hollywood Gold Cup for the third straight year in his last start. He is on course to race next in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar, which he won last year.

Garcia also was the groom for Sky Jack, another Hollywood Gold Cup winner trained by O'Neill.

Garcia has worked for O'Neill for 11 years, the trainer said.

* * *

My prayers are with him and with his family. I can't imagine.....

I drove by that accident early yesterday morning on my way to Torrey Pines I had no idea it was LM's groom!

[Fuofa]

O'Neil said today that Mr. Garcia has a life-long job with his operation as soon as he is able to begin working again. Pure class on his part. Hopefully Mr. Garcia will in the paddock when his horse runs in the Pacific Classic.

[PPerfectfan]

Originally Posted by Fuofa

O'Neil said today that Mr. Garcia has a life-long job with his operation as soon as he is able to begin working again. Pure class on his part. Hopefully Mr. Garcia will in the paddock when his horse runs in the Pacific Classic.

Ok thats it, I hope Lava Man wins by 15!!!

[Mike]

Yes, I feel bad for the groom.

However, you are all remiss in your duty as horseplayers by not asking the following question: Will this groom's absence have an adverse effect on Lava Man for his next race? Laugh if you will, but was this groom absent for all Lava Man's out of state poor efforts?

Lava Man. A big bet against in his next race

[Mike]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I'm sure the groom traveled with Lava when he traveled. If not, I can assure you that the groom had nothing to do with the poor efforts. Lava does not run well away from home. Now, I have always tried to beat Lava, so I might agree he will be a big bet against, but not because his groom was hurt.

A voice of reason.

Sorry for my drug addled post

[my miss storm cat]

http://www.lavamanshero.com/

[Riot]

That's awesome, thanks for posting that. Can't be there, but can contribute.

[Lava]

Originally Posted by Fuofa

O'Neil said today that Mr. Garcia has a life-long job with his operation as soon as he is able to begin working again. Pure class on his part. Hopefully Mr. Garcia will in the paddock when his horse runs in the Pacific Classic.

Good to hear O'Neil is going to stay with him. I hope Lava wins big for him

[my miss storm cat]

DRF.....


Lava Man's groom loses arm in car crash
By JAY PRIVMAN

DEL MAR, Calif. - Noe Garcia, the groom for the popular older horse Lava Man, was listed in fair condition on Tuesday at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, one day after losing his left arm in an early morning traffic accident near Del Mar racetrack. The driver of the car that hit Garcia's van admitted he had been drinking, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

Garcia was transferred from the intensive care unit to a regular room on Tuesday, according to Lisa Ohmstede, the manager of public relations at Scripps Memorial. Ohmstede said she did not know how much longer Garcia would need to be hospitalized.

According to an accident report filed by the California Highway Patrol, Garcia was traveling southbound on Interstate 5 near Lomas Santa Fe Drive at 1 a.m. Monday morning when his Toyota Sienna van was rear-ended by a Chevrolet Camaro driven by Heriberto Castillo of Oceanside, which caused Garcia's van to overturn.

Garcia, 39, severed his arm in the accident. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the CHP.

The accident was caused "due to Castillo's intoxication," according to the CHP report.

Following the accident, according to the CHP, Castillo, 22, "fled the scene" and drove northbound to Carlsbad. There, a motorist phoned the Carlsbad Police Department regarding an erratic driver. Castillo was pulled over, and damage to Castillo's car matched the damage to Garcia's car, according to the CHP. Castillo "admitted to being involved in this collision and drinking alcohol prior to the accident," according to the CHP collision report.

Castillo was booked into the nearby Vista Detention Facility jail, where he was being held on bail of $125,320, according to the San Diego Sheriff's department. Castillo was scheduled to be arraigned in court on Wednesday afternoon, according to the San Diego Sherriff's department.

Lava Man most recently won the Hollywood Gold Cup for the third straight year. His next scheduled start is next month's Pacific Classic, which he won last year.

Garcia had been off Sunday and returned to his Los Angeles-area home to visit his family. He was returning to work on Monday when the accident occurred, according to trainer Doug O'Neill.

"It's very sad," Tony Romero, Lava Man's exercise rider, said at O'Neill's Del Mar barn on Tuesday morning. "It's hard to believe. But thank God he's alive."

http://www.drf.com/news/article/86973.html