World No. 6 will make it to Round 1 on Friday

By Keith Ryan Cartwright
Posted Friday, October 30, 2009

LAS VEGAS (October 28, 2009) - Ryan McConnel was involved in a near-fatal automobile accident Tuesday outside of Colgate, Okla.

At approximately 5 p.m., the 22-year-old was traveling on a rural state highway when an apparent drunk driver signaled to make a right-hand turn. As McConnel began passing to the left of the car, it made a sudden and unexpected turn that ultimately lodged the car underneath McConnel’s truck behind the front passenger tire.

“As soon as I got sideways in the road, it flipped five or six times,” said McConnel, who was conscious throughout the entire accident.

McConnel, who was wearing a seatbelt, was transported to a local hospital where he remained until being released early Wednesday morning.

In an interview Wednesday evening, McConnel vividly recalled the details of the accident.

After the windows shattered and the roof began caving in on top of him, McConnel said he remembers putting his right hand on what he thought was the ceiling. It was the pavement.

Miraculously, McConnel, who to this point said he’s been “enjoying the greatest year” of his life, survived. He escaped with scrapes, scratches and cuts to his head and arms, along with a puncture wound to the back of his left lung. McConnel also said he’s unsure of what happened to his right shoulder, but that it’s sore as well.

“I couldn’t fly tonight because of (the punctured lung),” he said, “because if I get that high in the air, my lung could collapse. They said (my) best bet would be driving.”

McConnel said doctors told him that his lung will still allow him to breath heavily, and he hopes the puncture, which is the size of a pencil, will begin to close by the time he competes in Round 1 of the 2009 PBR World Finals on Friday night. The third-year pro enters this year’s Finals ranked sixth in the world standings.

He is currently driving from Oklahoma to Las Vegas in order to arrive on time for the rider check-in that takes place Thursday morning. McConnel also said he has a portable “breathing device” with that he uses from time to time to help rebuild his lung capacity.

“I came out really, really good,” he said. “I’m all right. I’ll be fine.”