Accident no deterrent, 4WD veteran to race again

JOHOR BARU: A freak accident at the Johor Rainforest Challenge (RFC) did not deter Australian four-wheel drive enthusiast David Metcalfe from participating in this adventurous sport. The 56-year-old Queenslander said it was his first accident in his 12 years of off-road driving.

Metcalfe: I was guiding my team mate, who is the main driver, when he accidentally hit a tree, causing a branch to fall on me.

“I was guiding my team mate, who is the main driver, when he accidentally hit a tree, causing a branch to fall on me,” he said at a RFC prize giving ceremony held here recently.

“I was in limbo after the branch hit me but I could still hear my fellow contestants calling my name. They stayed by my side until a rescue team reached the camp site five hours later,” he said.

The incident, added Metcalf, became a lesson in safety on handling vehicles in a tough situation.

More than 85 teams comprising 600 local and foreign participants including from Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam, took part in this year’s Johor RFC, which covered more than 300km.

Metcalfe said the incident took place during the last leg at of the event at the Tenggaroh forest reserve dubbed by many contestants as the ‘Twilight Zone’ due to its rough terrain. He added that the conditions at the time proved a challenge even for seasoned participants as the jungle was dense with low visibility and intermittent rain that turned the tracks muddy.

It was reported in The Star on Dec 13 that rescuers had to negotiate a rough coastline and trek through thick jungle in darkness to reach the campsite and send Metcalfe to Kota Tinggi Hospital. In a sporting spirit, the Australian went against doctors’ advice when he discharged himself a day earlier so he could attend the RFC closing ceremony. Metcalf said he will take two-month’s rest to recover from his injuries, and plans to return for next year’s RFC in Terengganu in June.

-thestar online.