Australian go karting champion, 17, breaks her THROAT bone in horror crash - but didn't realise until the day afterwards
- A 17-year-old teenager learnt she broke her throat bone after a go kart crash
- Eryn Osborne was competing in Australian Kart Championships on March 30
- She smashed into the kerb 'quite hard' early on in the race but continued racing
- On her way home the day after, the teenager suffered almost unbearable pain
- An X-ray taken after the weekend revealed she had broken her hyoid bone
A 17-year-old go karting star who broke her throat bone in a race day crash could have been killed by her horrific injury.
Eryn Osborne, from the northern coast of New South Wales, was competing in the Australian Kart Championships in Newcastle on March 30 when she smashed into the kerb 'quite hard' early in the race.
But the teenager, who was wearing a neck brace and helmet at the time of the crash, didn't realise she'd suffered serious injury and continued to race.
'I continued racing not knowing what had happened,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
Eryn Osborne, from the northern coast of New South Wales, was competing in the Australian Kart Championships in Newcastle on March 30 when she smashed into the kerb 'quite hard' early on in the race
After being advised to get an X-ray, Eryn was told she had a vertical fracture in her hyoid bone
Eryn explained the blow from the crash caused her neck brace to push her helmet up and she became strangled by the helmet strap.
It wasn't until the drive home the following day that Eryn became aware of her injury.
'On Sunday night we went to drive home from Newcastle and I started to feel some pain in my neck and upper back, at first I didn't think much about it but about one hour into the drive it was almost unbearable and I knew something wasn't right,' she said.
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Eryn went to Lismore Base Hospital with her parents and explained to the staff she had been in a high speed accident with no seat belt.
'They assessed me very quickly and sent me home with some panadol telling me that there was nothing wrong,' she said.
The pain had not subsided by Monday so the teenager visited her physiotherapist who advised her to get an X-ray immediately.
Eryn explained she did not know she had been seriously injured until the day after the race when she began to experience pain during the drive home from Newcastle
When the results came in on Tuesday morning, Eryn was told she had a vertical fracture in her hyoid bone.
The hyoid, situated near the front of the neck and not directly connected to any other bones, helps swallowing and tongue movement.
'We then when back to the hospital with my X-rays and due to the fracture being extremely rare, not many people knew what to do,' Eryn said.
'When I visited my GP two days later, she told me that if anything had gone wrong when I was sent home, then I may have damaged my vocal cords, or worse, it may have killed me.'
The teenager said she was 'extremely shocked' by her injuries and has spent the past few weeks in recovery.
Eryn- who is sponsored by JC Kart, Project X Racing, Penrite Oil, Racer Industries, MARC Cars Australia, Sparco, Steve Sorenson Mechanical, PMU Brakes - says she is excited to get back on the race track.
The teenager said she was 'extremely shocked' by her injuries and has spent the past few weeks in recovery
Eryn is excited to get back on the track and hopes to race in South Australia in two weeks
'I am planning to race the Australian Kart Championship in Monarto South Australia in two weeks time. Fingers crossed everything has healed correctly,' she said.
Eryn explained that she fell in love with the sport when she was just eight-years-old.
'I grew up with my uncle Paul Broomfield racing motocross, so initially I was racing motocross.'
'When I was eight, my dad took me hire karting and I absolutely loved it.
'After that we bought a kart and have been racing ever since.'
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