COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER DENIS Naughten has told of the injuries he suffered after being knocked off his bike at the start of the year.
The independent TD was cycling with his wife when he was struck by a vehicle on the Castlecoote Road near Roscommon town.
Although he was released from hospital two weeks ago, Naughten is in a spinal brace but doctors have told him that he is expected to make a full recovery.
However, his road accident brought back memories of losing his father in a car crash 20 years ago.
Speaking on Today with Sean O’Rourke, Naughten said: “I’ve soft tissue damage so standing is difficult at the moment. Hopefully I’ll make a full recovery.
“I’ve a spinal brace on. I’ve to wear this for a couple of months. I’ll have to have patience with it which will be challenging.”
Naughten described the moment he was thrown from his bike and said he remembers the paramedics working on him, fitting him with a neck brace and speeding down to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Galway.
I can remember the whole lot. I was lying on the flat of my back on the road. I had the paramedics and emergency first responders there. For anyone in that situation when you’re lying on your back with a neck brace and spinal board, it’s a scary feeling.
“From my own perspective, it brought it all home to me (father’s passing). It’s not something I’d like to see someone else experience.”
While it is taking some time to recover physically, Naughten said he is now very wary of cars coming up behind him and busy road traffic.
When pressed about what he thought of a potential Fine Gael leadership change, he added: “It was the last thing on my mind.”
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