Injured cyclist Nur Rozi has regained consciousness

PETALING JAYA: Back-up cyclist Nur Rozi Yanti Mat Rodzi, who was seriously injured in a highway accident last Saturday, has regained consciousness and is able to communicate with the doctors.

Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) deputy president Datuk Naim Mohamad said that “Nur Rozi is still in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Kajang Hospital and on respirator because of her broken ribs had punctured her lung”.

“I spoke to the doctor at ICU today and was told they still need to keep her under observation for three to four days,” Naim said.

“The result of the head scan looks good ... there’s no clotting or serious head injury, except for some bruises.

“She is communicating with the doctors through writing. She can’t speak because of the respiratory tube in her throat.

“Her condition is still critical because her lungs are not functioning normally ... the doctors have detected air and some bleeding because her haemoglobin reading is low.

“The most important thing is that she’s conscious ... and the grip of her hand is strong.

“We pray that she’ll recover soon.”

The 17-year-old was training on the Kajang Silk Highway with six other cyclists, a coach and an escort van at 9am last Saturday when she fell off her bicycle and was caught under the wheels of the van. She sustained serious body and head injuries.

National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail had, on Sunday, ordered a halt on open-road training effective immediately as they look for ways to ensure better safety for the national cyclists.

Naim said that it was more important to find out the cause of the accident and to the findings to help improve on the existing safety procedures for on-the-road training.

“There are no upcoming big competitions, so halting the open-road training is okay,” said Naim.

“But the cyclists will eventually need to go back on the road as long distance training is the ideal way to build their endurance level.

“Accidents also happen on the track, where cyclists have broken their collarbones before.

“The risk for road cyclists is always high as they share the road with others.”