Siti Nurul Masyitah Elias.
ISKANDAR PUTERI: National kayaker Siti Nurul Masyitah Elias, who was badly injured after being hit by a drunk driver, is still being treated at the intensive care unit of a private hospital here.
According to her brother Muhammad Syafiq Elias, 29, Siti Nurul Masyitah is currently in stable condition after successfully going through an operation on her pelvic and right shoulder bones on Tuesday (May 14).
He said during the incident, Siti Nurul Masyitah was on her way to the training centre in Kampung Bakar Batu, Johor Baru, from their family house in Pontian.
“She is awake and in a stable condition after the first surgery.
“Her next operation will involve the main injury, which is on her left shoulder and hips.
"We are currently waiting for the medical report from the doctor who is treating her,” he said when met by reporters at the hospital on Wednesday (May 15).
Muhammad Syafiq said his sister's injury might affect her performance as kayaking uses a lot of shoulder and hand movements.
“But she is a strong and very positive person. She had also tried to work part-time as a food delivery rider to help out our family,” he added.
Prior to the incident, Siti Nurul Masyitah was taking care of her mother, Saloma Ramli, 58, who is suffering from a broken backbone after falling from a motorcycle on April 21.
Currently, the 22-year-old is pursuing a diploma in mechanical engineering (manufacturing) in her final year and is expected to go for her industrial training.
Commenting on the case, Muhammad Syafiq said it is high time that the government takes stern action against drunk drivers.
“There are cases where victims became permanently disabled or even killed,” he added.
Meanwhile, Saloma said she hoped that what had happened to her daughter would not occur to others.
“Let this case be the last. I hope there will be no more victims of such incidents in the future.
Johor youth, sports, entrepreneur development and cooperative committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the state government will be closely monitoring Siti Nurul Masyitah’s condition and will provide help if necessary.
“The Johor Sports Council will fully sponsor her physiotherapy treatment and education after she is discharged.
“She had helped contribute four gold medals for Johor during the Malaysia Games 2022 in Kuala Lumpur and a bronze medal during the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games 2023.
“I was told that the Youth and Sports Ministry is planning to visit her on Thursday (May 16). I hope there will be some form of aid given to her and her family,” he said.
Mohd Hairi also suggested that all future athletes, either full-time or part-time, will be provided with insurance coverage so that they can get medical aid in case of a tragedy.
On Saturday (May 11), Siti Nurul Masyitah suffered serious injuries after her motorcycle was run over by a car at KM3.5 of the Eastern Dispersal Link in Johor Baru.
She was dragged some 600m by the car driven by a man believed to be drunk.
Police said the case is being investigated under Section 44 of the Road Transport Act for drink driving and causing injury.
