Maria Costello’s Sidecar TT passenger, Shaun Parker, reveals permanent eye damage from TT accident
Sidecar racer and passenger, Shaun Parker, has revealed the extent of his Isle of Man TT injuries, which include permanent damage to his left eye.
Maria Costello’s Sidecar TT passenger, Shaun Parker, has revealed permanent damage to both eyes, with his left eye suffering the most following his Isle of Man TT accident in May.
Like Costello, Parker has been left with several long-term injuries after the pair crashed during the opening Sidecar TT qualifying session on May 26. More than eight weeks have gone by since the accident, and although Parker is recovering well from knee, jaw and internal injuries, he has now revealed the true extent of his eye damage during a social media post.
Speaking on July 28, Parker updated fans on his condition by saying:
“I’ve still got fuzzy vision in the centre of my vision in my left eye. I went to the hospital last Thursday, and that looks like it’s going to be permanent. I am going to ask for a second option, but it is pretty much because the blood loss through the retina wall was so extreme due to the injury that it’s not going to come back. It looks like I’ve lost that, and then I’ve lost a bit in my right eye which isn’t going to come back either. It’s been eight weeks now, so any healing that was going to happen potentially has happened.”
Parker went on to admit that the injuries to his eyes won’t affect his ability to hold a driving licence. Parker’s update follows on from a post shared by Costello, which was made on the same day, where the former TT podium finisher revealed that she is grateful for all the support from the motorcycle community.
The focus for both Parker and Costello remains to make as full a recovery as they can, and fans can help by donating to their individual GoFundMe pages.
Costello and Parker’s accident was one of two high-profile sidecar accidents at this year’s TT, which ultimately led to organisers suspending the remainder of the class. Pre-2026 Isle of Man TT favourites Ryan and Callum Crowe were the other pairing involved in a serious accident during qualifying.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
