Hutter stable but still in coma following training accident

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer George Weaver reported Sunday that his wife, Cindy Hutter, remained in stable condition but was still in a coma in the aftermath of a training incident that occurred last Sunday on the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga. Hutter was injured when the horse she was riding, Vindatude, collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack, pinning her underneath.

Weaver said Hutter is expected to be moved from the ICU at the Albany Medical Center to a rehabilitation center within the next couple of days.

“She had a significant brain injury. She can respond to voice commands but she’s not opened her eyes yet,” Weaver said while watching a set of his horses train over the Oklahoma track early Sunday morning. “We’re expecting that to happen sometime, although we don’t know what the time frame of that might be.”

Weaver said it’s going to be a long road to recovery for Hutter even after she comes out of the coma.

“We’re going to coach her to get her back to herself as best we can,” Weaver said. “Right now we cannot assess the extent of the damage and probably won’t get an idea of the recovery we can expect for a year, maybe more. Everybody is different when it comes to brain injuries of this nature. They just don’t know. Her condition is stable. She’s healthy. She’s got some broken ribs, a broken collarbone, all that stuff, but that’s all insignificant compared to the brain injury. All that really matters now is her brain injury healing."