Paride Grillo started the new year off in the worst of ways when the 25 year-old Italian crashed his BMW Z4 Coupe into an electrical box at eight in the morning on January 1. The incident, which happened a few hundred metres from his home in Appiano Gentile (Como), left the CSF Group Navigare sprinter with numerous wounds according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The BMW was completely destroyed but Grillo was fortunate to escape with only small injuries, while doctors are still reserving the final prognosis. "The worst has passed," noted a family member. Attention is reportedly focused on his left knee, which will be evaluated further in the coming days.
The cause of the crash is unknown, however, streets were icy on that morning in northern Italy, and could have affected the car's control. The impact was such that a local electrical crew had to perform a check on the transfer box that was involved.
Grillo is now expected to face a long stop even though an official CSF Group Navigare (formerly Panaria - ed.) press release on Wednesday had him listed to start in the Tour de Langkawi (likely the team of Bruno and Roberto Reverberi did not yet know of the incident). It comes as another blow the winner of three races in 2007, who had to face a stop of two weeks for an elevated haematocrit value.
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