Oct 23, 2012 2 min read

One day after suffering neck and shoulder injuries in a five-horse pileup at The Meadows Racetrack, Dave Palone, harness racing’s winningest driver in North America, was released from Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh Tuesday.Palone was hurt in a five-horse crash in Monday’s 10th race. Another driver, Mike Wilder, was treated and released for a sprained wrist and broken ribs. Wilder returned to drive on Tuesday’s card.”We’re very lucky that he wasn’t hurt seriously,” said Palone’s wife, Bethann, late Tuesday afternoon. “I just took him home from the hospital, and he’s resting. He’s a little sore right now, so it’s day to day. But he’ll be back soon.”The accident was triggered when Wilder’s horse, Whirl Monroe, went down, launching a chain reaction that toppled Intrigued Royally and Palone. Drivers Brett Miller, Todd Cummings and Mike Dowdall also were affected but did not require medical attention. None of the five horses or other drivers involved was seriously injured.Meadows spokesman Evan Pattak said Palone was scheduled for starts in 14 of 16 races Tuesday, but those were divded up among other drivers.Palone has been involved in a number of accidents, including one in April 2007, when he was involved in a crash that resulted in a broken femur. Palone’s femur required a metal rod and screws to put back into place.”The doctors weren’t sure if I would even be able to walk again because I shattered it like a pane of glass,” Palone said in July. “It was broken in 50 places. … They told me I was probably going to miss the entire stake season. If I could return to driving horses, it was going to be six months.” Palone was back in seven weeks.Five months later in Columbus, Ohio, he took another spill and landed on the leg. It was fine, but he fractured his shoulder. Palone stayed in the sulky, finishing the season.Palone is scheduled to drive in 10 races on tonight’s card.