Kuala Terengganu: The mother of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) student Nur Erika Alisya Mohd Zaidi, who was seriously injured in the tragic road accident on the East-West Highway in Gerik, Perak on June 9, has called on the public to pray for her daughter’s speedy recovery.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Noorzailizan Zakaria@ Ariffin, 41, reported that her daughter, who sustained injuries to both hands and her neck, could only lie in bed at the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ) in Kuala Terengganu. She was flown from the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh, Perak, via the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department helicopter on June 21.
“She’s in stable condition and has shown positive development, but she needs help with her movements because she can’t move her hands properly due to the many fractures sustained,” Noorzailizan said. Nur Erika Alisya’s right hand has had rods inserted into her shoulder, elbow, and wrist, as well as into the elbow and wrist of her left hand. She also has to wear a neck brace due to a fracture.
The housewife, who lives in Kampung Alor Keladi in Hulu Besut, mentioned that she and her 45-year-old husband, an assistant handyman, currently take turns to care for their daughter. Noorzailizan shared that Nur Erika Alisya is still traumatised and often recalls the tragic incident, which claimed the lives of 15 of her campus friends.
During the ambulance ride from Sultan Mahmud Airport in Kuala Nerus to HSNZ, Nur Erika Alisya was scared and cried throughout the journey. She also dislikes having the ceiling fan switched on at full speed as it causes her to recall the tragic incident.
Noorzailizan hopes her daughter, a Bachelor of Islamic Education student, will recover quickly so she can pursue her ambition to become an ustazah (religious teacher).
The early morning accident on June 9 resulted in the death of 15 UPSI students when a bus rented from Jertih to return to the university’s main campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak, overturned after a collision with a Perodua Alza on the highway. The accident also injured 33 others, including the bus driver, co-driver, and the driver and three passengers of the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).