Bono Photographed for First Time Since Nasty Cycling Accident
Bono is getting back in the saddle.
For the first time since his serious bicycle accident — and subsequent surgeries — the U2 frontman was photographed while walking down the street in Dublin on Saturday. He masterfully masked his injuries by wearing a camo cap, aviator shades, and a scarf and had his coat over his injured arm.
On Nov. 16, the music icon, 54, took a cycling spill in Manhattan's Central Park, which left him with multiple fractures that necessitated two surgeries. While trying to avoid hitting another two-wheeler, he fractured his left eye socket, left shoulder blade (in three places), left little finger, and left elbow. The bone in his elbow went through his skin and split into six pieces.
Bono's orthopedic trauma surgeon, Dr. Dean Lorich from NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Hospital for Special Surgery, performed two operations after what he described as a "high-energy bicycle accident." One five-hour procedure included inserting three plates and 18 screws into the musician's elbow.
Lorich said that Bono will need physical therapy, however, a full recovery is expected.
The Irish band immediately postponed their weeklong residency on The Tonight Show. Bruce Springsteen and Chris Martin stepped in and performed with the group (which became U2 Minus One for the day) on World AIDS Day. However, they are still selling tickets for their 2015 tour, which is set to commence in May.
Earlier this month, The Edge spoke out about Bono's injuries during a radio interview. He jokingly said on KROQ that the reason Bono went unnoticed during the accident was because the rock star dresses up like a Hasidic man when he cycles. (Think: a big fur hat, side-curls, and beard.) The resulting media coverage led Bono's spokesperson to deny The Edge's tall tale to the Times of Israel.
The Edge's interview wasn't all a joke. In seriousness he added, "He managed to come out of it with what you can only describe as injuries from a car crash, literally multiple fractures of bones in his elbow and his back. But he’s doing OK. We’re kind of lucky he was wearing a helmet, so he didn’t actually break Central Park. He’s made of tough stuff and he’s bouncing back.”
He continued, "He’s been told by his doctors to stay put. He’s back in Dublin right now and he basically can’t move for the next couple of months... The poor guy, basically his left elbow was shattered, so a lot of the work was reconstructing the joints and putting in wires and plates. He actually showed us some x-rays a couple days later, it looked like a miniature Eiffel Tower.”