Maria Costello's life-changing injuries revealed following TT crash
The full extent of Maria Costello’s injuries has been revealed following her qualifying crash at the 2026 Isle of Man TT, with supporters now raising funds to aid her long-term recovery and rehabilitation.
Former Isle of Man TT podium finisher and trailblazing road racer Maria Costello is facing what supporters have described as a “lifelong impact” following the serious crash she suffered during qualifying for the 2026 Isle of Man TT.
Costello was involved in an accident during the opening Sidecar qualifying session on May 26 and remains under specialist care in Liverpool following initial treatment on the island. A newly launched GoFundMe page has now revealed the full extent of her injuries, while also beginning a major fundraising push to support what is expected to be a long and costly recovery.
According to the fundraiser, Costello has suffered paralysis from the T5/T6 vertebrae down, alongside a broken back involving fractures to both vertebrae, a broken arm, multiple broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken nose and eye socket, as well as a Grade 4 liver laceration and facial injuries.
The statement says Costello remains “extremely grateful” to the marshals, medical staff and circuit personnel who treated her at the scene before she was transferred to hospital in Liverpool, where she continues to receive specialist care.
While her immediate condition has stabilised, the update paints a stark picture of the challenges now facing one of British motorcycle racing’s best-known names.
“Maria will need specialist help with physio care and perhaps surgeries to hopefully help Maria regain use of her legs,” the statement reads.
It also confirms that the injuries will have a lasting impact on her everyday life, with significant adaptations expected to be needed in the months ahead. Supporters say she will likely require either a move to a more accessible property or substantial modifications to her current home, including an adapted bed, specialist shower facilities, kitchen alterations, a stairlift and an adapted vehicle.
Further surgeries, rehabilitation and long-term physiotherapy are also expected to form part of Costello’s recovery process.
For many in the paddock, the fundraiser marks a difficult shift for a racer who has spent decades fighting to secure sponsorship and backing simply to compete. Now, supporters are instead rallying around her recovery.
Maria Costello has long been one of the most recognisable figures in road racing, becoming the first woman to secure a solo podium at the Isle of Man TT when she finished third in the Ultra Lightweight class in 2005. Across a career spanning more than two decades, she has remained a prominent figure in both solo and sidecar competition.
The fundraiser, launched under the title ‘Maria Costello MBE – Road to Recovery’, is open and taking donations now, with more than £33,000 raised already on the way to the £200,000 fundraising target.
You can donate on the official webpage.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
