Leah Kilner Reveals She Can’t Remember What Happened During Horrific Race Fall That Nearly Killed Her

A jockey who nearly died last year after a horrific fall has revealed she still doesn’t remember the incident and admitted there were times when she wished she hadn’t survived.

Leah Kilner was thrown off her filly, Stella Turn, as the field galloped home down the straight in the third race of the day at Grafton in New South Wales last July.

The 25-year-old was catapulted onto the turf and trampled by the horses after Stella Turn stumbled home in the straight.

Kilner was transported to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital where she was placed in a coma with severe spinal cord and head injuries after undergoing surgery to ‘relieve pressure on her brain’.

A year after her horrific ordeal, the jockey reflected on the physical and mental toll the incident took on her life.

Kilner was transported to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane where she was placed in a coma with severe spinal cord and head injuries.

The 25-year-old admitted that she sometimes wished she hadn’t survived the crash

“The life I knew and loved was ripped away, with no memory of how or why, but a new beginning,” she wrote in a lengthy post on Instagram.

“Grateful to those who have stuck with me from day one and helped me get this far.”

Kilner candidly admitted that there were times during her recovery when she wished she hadn’t survived the incident.

“There have been some days where I’ve partly wished I’d never made it and I might still be unable to do a lot of things, especially what I love,” she continued.

‘But I’ve always said: I can walk and I can talk, so I’m fine. And I am grateful for that.’

Ambulance officers rushed onto the track to help the fallen rider, but an hour passed before she was taken to hospital by Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

“Because there was such a long delay of over an hour before Leah was airlifted off the track, there was a huge wave of concern for her from the other jockeys,” said Michael Beattie, general manager of the Clarence River Jockey Club.

Kilner’s family, including her father Greg, who is a horse trainer, were both on the track watching the horrific incident unfold.

The 25-year-old’s recovery from her horrific injury has progressed steadily over the past year

Kilner was left with 25 percent vision in her left eye in the immediate aftermath of the crash

Stella Turn was euthanized after the accident, while the remaining six races of the competition were postponed.

After being released from hospital last year, Kilner described the extent of her injuries on social media.

“Wow, who would have thought I would walk out of here legally and alive!” she wrote on Instagram.

“I’m here to tell the crazy story and thankful for all the people who have been here to support me and all the people who have sent a message, a prayer, whatever, it all helped.

“Apart from the severe head/brain trauma, I had a broken collarbone in three, broken ribs, a minor fracture in the ankle, my entire left side extremely weak and still tingling, even a closed left eye, leaving me with only 25 percent visibility.’

Kilner was regarded as one of the best up and coming jockeys in the country, riding over 200 winners during her short career.

Kilner also revealed that some of her worst injuries weren’t physical.

“We will not forget the post-traumatic amnesia. I’ve even tried throwing myself out of bed to ‘wake myself up,'” she said.

Kilner was regarded as one of the best up and coming jockeys in the country, riding over 200 winners during her short career.

She narrowly missed out on the all-time record of 54 wins in the 2021-22 racing season after crossing the line first 46 times.