Olympic champion suffered horror injuries in car crash as he picked kids up from school

American swimming hero Ryan Lochte has opened up on his severe injuries after he was involved in a terrifying car accident while he was picking up his children from school.

The six-time Olympic gold medallist has revealed that he has been recovering from the crash for the past ten months after he broke his femur "in half". The 40-year-old has shared updates on his progress on social media after the incident - which occurred last November.

Now, he has given his recollections of the events that day as he recalled colliding with a truck that he claimed had been parked in the middle of a four-lane street. He purported that there was no indication via lights or cones on the road which would have let him know that the vehicle was at a standstill.

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Attempting to round the truck, his efforts were in vain as he "ran into the damn thing", with the resulting crash leaving onlookers horrified. Speaking on Athletes Only podcast, he revealed that those who had witnessed the collision were convinced that he had died at the scene.

Revealing his account of what occurred, he said: "'They're like, 'He's dead. He's not breathing. He'd dead'. Blood gushing from my head," before going into detail about the extent of his injuries, adding: "Still have a couple stiches in there. Broke my femur. Completely broke my femur in half. Totalled my car.'

Nearly a year on from the crash, the swimmer - who competed at four Olympics - admitted that he still is troubled by what happened, continuing: "I still have some nightmares. I still get scared when I, like, go to the car to go to my physical therapy. I still have visions of the wreck. I still have visions of white lights flashing in my eyes."

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On Thursday, the swimming legend and his wife wife Kayla Lochte posted a video of his progress in the past ten months, with the star having been filmed in a wheelchair before eventually being shown jogging. His partner captioned the clip, saying: "This guy has been putting in the work one step at a time, literally!"

Lochte also discussed his approach to dealing with the impact of the crash on his life from a mental standpoint as he opened up on his determination to make a full recovery. He said: Life's setbacks may knock you down, but they set the stage for an even stronger comeback!'

Describing how the crash has left him humbled, he acknowledged that he has become very much aware of his own mortality after such a severe collision. He added: "In the blink of an eye, your life can be over. I'm just so thankful that no one got injured except me.

"It's still hard for me to walk — but I'm doing PT, my health is there, my kids are safe everyone else is safe that was in the truck. I guess I'm a cat that has nine lives. I don't know what life I'm on now. It's a bump in the road — a huge bump in the road. But I have to keep moving forward."