Italian Letizia Paternoster was diagnosed with a fractured navicular bone in her left wrist and a fractured front tooth after being hit by a car in Arco, near Trentino. The injuries were confirmed in a medical update released Friday by her team, Trek Segafredo.

According to early reports in the local media, Paternoster was hit by a car at a roundabout. Trek Segafredo later confirmed that the accident occurred around 9:30 a.m. on her familiar home road between Arco di Trento and Riva del Garda.

"Everything happened so fast that I couldn't comprehend it," Paternoster said in a team medical update. 'I just reacted with my hands to contain the fall. After I calmed down, I knew my head was fine. Unfortunately, the x-rays confirmed a bad feeling.

Paternoster was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Trek Segafredo's physician, Nino Daniele, contacted Arco Hospital and confirmed that Paternoster's injuries included a small avulsion on the lateral aspect of the left hand navicular bone and a fracture of the front tooth.

As for the navicular bone, Arco doctors placed it in a temporary cast to keep it immobile.

"This afternoon, Letizia was examined by an orthopedic surgeon who confirmed that no surgery was necessary. 'As a precaution, tomorrow she will undergo an MRI scan and the cast will be replaced with a small tailored one. He will now be able to put his hand on the handlebars and run on his home trainer. The full recovery is expected to be 30 days."

Recovery will take 30 days, but the 20-year-old rider will be able to return to training on a stationary bike before then.

The newspaper L'Adige reported that the driver of the car admitted that he did not see Paternoster, but claimed that his view was obstructed by the windshield frame.

Paternoster is considered one of the peloton's rising stars, showing talent on the track and on the road. She was about to begin winter training for the 2020 season with the goal of success on the track at the Tokyo Olympics.

She won the opening stage of the Santos Women's Tour Down Under in January and the European Under 23 Championships in August. She also finished second in the final stage of the Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta.

Despite the setback, Paternoster maintains a positive outlook and looks forward to getting back on the bike after his recovery.

"The disappointment is great," he said. 'Today was my second day of training after coming back from vacation and the end-of-season layoff. Obviously, it's not the best way to start a new season, but whatever it is, I want to look forward, think positively, and deal with it. A broken hand should not affect my preparation for the important 2020 season."