Top Maltese Athlete Opens Up About Her Struggle To Recover After Being Hit By A Truck While On Her Bicycle
A leading Maltese athlete and environmentalist behind the inspirational Wave of Change campaign has taken to Facebook to speak about her painful recovery after being hit by a truck while biking.
Hannah Cutajar, who has also taken part in international endurance tournaments such as the Ironman Triathlon, was going about her usual training when her life was turned upside down.
“I woke up for my usual swim with friends at 6 am on a Sunday morning and decided to cut it short to include a short bike ride after, given it was the week before National Championships,” Hannah said.
However, everything was about to change.
“At 7.30 am I was laughing with my sports buddies in the water, by 8 am I was on the ground in agony with a broken collarbone – all because a driver didn’t see me.”
Suddenly, her morning training session had become one of the toughest moments she would ever face.
“I was probably at the fittest point I have ever been in my life, set to race National Championships and Super League in the weeks to follow,” she said. “Instead, it’s been a week of pain, tears, sleepless nights and hospital visits.”
“I think I woke up every single day last week hoping that this was all a bad dream.”
Soon enough, she underwent surgery on her collarbone.
“I got the surgery done on the clavicle on Saturday and am on the road to recovery,” she said. “Whilst the fracture will heal, the doubts, frustration and emotional side to things – that will be the hardest part to get my head around.”
She wanted to share her story with people to raise awareness on how someone’s life can be ruined just because a driver isn’t paying attention on the road.
“I thought long and hard about whether to post on Facebook but then I realised that this is the only way to raise awareness,” Hannah said.
“Many people’s reactions were ‘You shouldn’t be cycling in Malta’. I’m a seasoned athlete, why should I not be allowed to do what I love without being worried about being hit by a car?” she asked.
“To all the drivers out there – Share The Road – that cyclist you hit, you’re about to turn their life upside down,” she ended.
Hannah closed off the heartbreaking Facebook status with what she called the best moments from this year, portraying a much happier version of herself at anything from the Wave of Change challenge to her own wedding.
Have you experienced the painful fallout from an avoidable traffic accident? Let us know in the comments below or email us at [email protected] to speak in confidentiality.
READ NEXT: Malta Has The Second Highest Rate Of Motorcyclist Deaths In The EU Despite Being ‘Safe’ For Everyday Drivers
