His sock drenched in blood, New Zealand motocross star Daryl Hurley knew it wasn't going to be pretty when doctors cut away his boot.
The 27-year-old Hawera man was right and now, a month after his accident at round eight of the United States 125cc championships, surgeons are talking of amputatinga toe.
Based in California, the motocross professional races for Suzuki America, where he is one of the few in the world considered worthy of a factory motorcycle. And he is paid a six-figure salary to ride it.
Hurley had been running with the leaders at the Washougal track, just outside Washington, when the accident occurred.
"Something caught my ankle, twisting and wrenching my foot back under the bike," he said.
He didn't crash and managed to continue but, when his foot started going numb, he knew his race was over.
"My foot had kind of exploded. There was blood everywhere . . . the boot was full. I was too scared to take my sock off."
He had finished 10th in the previous race, one of his best results since making his American debut at the beginning of the season. Now his career is in limbo as doctors decide what to do with his damaged right foot.
"I've had some wires removed and a plastic surgeon is going to have a look at it in the next few days. I think they want to leave it as long as they can," he said from his California home.
"The end of my foot is black and dead. If they remove my big toe, it will affect my balance a bit. But they reckon a skin graft or two and I'll be okay.
"It's not the end of the world for me. Today I re-signed my contract with Suzuki for next season. They want me to ride the 250cc class in the supercross series and the new four-stroke 250 in the outdoors.
"The team are very happy with my results, despite the fact I've been injured for six of the past 12 months. They want to give me another go.
"It is just so hard to break into the American scene and I think Suzuki realises my injuries are not because I'm a loose rider or anything. It's just part of the sport I'm in. I just have to get tough."
