BREAKING UPDATE — TONY MODRA’S WIFE ERICA SHARES NEW DETAILS ON AFL GREAT’S CONDITION AFTER TRUCK CRASH
‘He’s not going to be the same good-looking Tony Modra, he’s going to have some scars.’
Tony Modra’s wife Erica says the AFL great is “going alright” in hospital following what she has revealed was a “freak accident” on a windy Thursday afternoon in South Australia.
There were graves fears for the 57-year-old Adelaide and Fremantle cult hero after it emerged he had crashed while driving his cattle truck.
But close friend and former Crows teammate Mark Ricciuto has now shared a positive update after speaking regularly with Modra’s wife.
Ricciuto, clearly still shaken himself, said Erica wanted to say “a very big thank you” to first responders Sarah and Anthony “who saved (Modra’s) life and helped talk her through while things were going down”.
“(Erica) wants to thank the MFS (SA fire service) and the emergency personnel at the Victor Harbor Hospital who stabilised him and got him sorted until the intensive care team took control and looked after him,” Ricciuto said on Triple M.
“There’s people ringing her and she obviously can’t get back to everyone so she’s a bit overwhelmed with everything.
“She wants to say thank you to all the people in Western Australia who have been reaching out to her.
“She said he’s going alright. It’s pretty amazing that he’s got through it.
“She said to me just before he’s not going to be the same good-looking Tony Modra, he’s going to have some scars.
“I said well he can be like us for once instead of being good looking as he always has been.
“He’s going OK and we’re fingers crossed he’s going to get through it OK at the moment. She just really wanted to say thank you to everyone.
“It wasn’t a good place to be by the sounds of it and he got through it and he’s in a reasonable position at this stage.”
Modra was driving a cattle truck and crashed into a tree outside Victor Harbor, just over one hour south of Adelaide, on Thursday afternoon.
He was taken to the local hospital before being rushed by road to Flinders Medical Centre.
Ricciuto said Erica “just wanted to clear wanted to clear up how the accident happened” — as they revealed Modra had no chance to react when a tree flew into his truck’s path.
“She wanted me to emphasise he’s been working his backside off for the family,” he said.
“I’d spoken to him the day before when he was coming back from Victoria and he was going to go through the Riverland and he wanted to stop and go down the river property for a bit of a break.
“Yesterday he was nearly home, on Range Road, Back Valley down near Victor Harbor, it was extremely windy yesterday and a complete freak accident, a tree got uprooted and fell across the road right in front of him as he was driving on the correct side of the road, and it hit his windscreen.
“Just an absolute freak accident. He didn’t veer off, didn’t even get time to avoid it. He was doing the right thing — just to end the speculation out there.”
Ricciuto choked up as he spoke of a “beautiful” song Modra wrote recently as a tribute to fans.
“Anyone who knows Mods it’s the last thing you thought Mod would do,” he said.
“He’s a different fella. He’s a great fella, one of my best mates. He didn’t want to write a book, he just wanted to write a song.
“He wanted to write a song for all the people he played with but more importantly all the people he didn’t play with, and he sent it to me to have a listen to.
“I liked it and we’re going to play it now. Erica said yeah, I think that would be good for Tony.”
Listen to the song in the player below.
Adelaide issued a brief statement supporting Modra on Friday morning.
“Our collective thoughts and prayers are with Mods and his family, and we are all hoping for the best,” the club said.
Dockers coach Justin Longmuir played alongside Modra at Fremantle and spoke after the club’s win over Geelong on Thursday night.
“It’s pretty fresh for me, like it is for everyone,” he said.
“Obviously a big part of the Freo family, all I can say is I wish him and his family well.
“Hopefully he can pull through, we’re thinking of him — we’re all thinking of him and his family, thoughts are with him.”
SOURCE: https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/tony-modras-wife-erica-shares-update-on-afl-greats-condition-after-truck-crash-c-22454423
