When triathlete Hannah Cutajar was hit by a truck two weeks ago as she was cycling in Żejtun, she immediately tried to get back on her feet.

It was only when she could not hold herself upright that she realised the gravity of her injuries and her accident.

Passers-by who witnessed her being thrown off her bike told her sternly to stay put as they called the ambulance. Within minutes, she found out she had sustained a broken collarbone.

“At 7.30am I was laughing with my sports buddies in the water, by 8am I was on the ground in agony... All because a driver didn’t see me,” Ms Cutajar said.

The heavy vehicle allegedly cut through a main road without stopping and hit her head-on as she was cycling from the opposite end.

The adrenaline had numbed the pain and the only thing on her mind was the upcoming Super League Triathlon Series.

As the best sprint athlete, she had been given a wild card to race against international athletes for big prize money.

“It’s been a week of pain, tears, sleepless nights and hospital visits. I think I woke up every single day last week hoping this was all a bad dream,” Ms Cutajar wrote on her Facebook wall.

Her year had been an eventful one. She got married and moved into a new house, started a full-time job as a content writer and as an athlete she reached two important milestones.

Hannah took gold at the European Triathlon Age Group Championships.

If you’re out driving, just slow down

In July, she took home gold at the European Triathlon Age Group Sprint Championships in Russia and in September was crowned national champion for sprint distance, setting a new course record.

“I was probably at the fittest point I have ever been in my life, set to race in the National Championships and Super League in the weeks to follow.”

For the first day in two weeks since the accident, Ms Cutajar walked out of the house alone.

Sitting down on a bench a few metres from her home in Marsascala, the seasoned athlete has since undergone surgery and the pain has subsided.

“In six weeks, I should be back in the water,” she says, staring out at the sea ahead of her.

But the most important thing for her at this point is advocating for road safety.

“When the accident happened people told me I shouldn’t be cycling in Malta, that it’s dangerous. But I’m a triathlete… what other option do I have?”

She underlines the importance for people to be better informed that a cyclist has to follow the same highway code applicable to vehicle drivers.

“On social media, people are constantly arguing that cyclists should use bike lanes or pavements, but we are legally allowed to cycle on the road.

“If you’re out driving, just slow down. If you hit that cyclist, you’re going to turn his life upside down.”

To the delicate question asking when she planned to be back racing competitively, she looks away.

“It all depends on how motivated I’m going to be, how headstrong I’m going to be, how my body’s going to react… It’s easy to get demotivated and get into a bad headspace if I see that I’ve fallen behind.”

How does she feel about being back on the road on her bike?

“I’ve thought about and I think I’ll be OK, but the real test will come when I do get on that road again.”