For most of the season, Zanardi had little success, with three top-ten finishes and a best result of fourth place in the 2001 Molson Indy Toronto. During the 2001 American Memorial at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz on 15 September 2001, just four days after a recent disaster, Zanardi started from the back of the grid and was gaining the upper hand of the race. After a late pit stop, Zanardi on cold tyres was attempting to merge back onto the track when he accelerated abruptly, lost control of his car, and spun onto the race track into the direct path of Patrick Carpentier. Carpentier was able to avoid him, but Alex Tagliani, who was just behind Carpentier at the time, could not avoid, and Zanardi's car was blindsided from behind the front wheel, severing the nose of the car. After the crash, Zanardi was unable to exit the vehicle alone, and paramedics entered the fray to tend to him. Zanardi was admitted to the hospital, where he suffered severed bones in both legs. Doctors felt that surgery would not save both legs in time and that Zanardi needed amputation. In addition, Zanardi lost 75% of his blood volume, though rapid medical intervention saved his life. Further portions of his legs were amputated during three hours of surgery to clean and facilitate closing the wounds.