A fundraiser to help cover costs after Imogen Cotter suffered serious injuries from being hit by the driver of a car Wednesday has had a staggering response, amassing almost €20,000 in less than two days.
The Gofundme was started by Cotter’s Girona housemate Alina Jäger, who began living with the Irish road race champion earlier this month when the latter moved to Girona.
Jäger listed the injuries on the Gofundme page, writing that “it's going to be a long road to recovery for her as she has the following injuries: a shattered patella that had to be replaced with a metal plate, a broken arm, various injuries that affect her wrist.” At the time of writing the fundraiser had amassed €16, 346, a jump of almost €10,000 since Thursday evening.
Aside from the generosity of the public, the momentum shown is also due in part to the considerable social media reach of both Jäger and Cotter, who have 157 thousand and 94.7 thousand followers respectively on Instagram.
Cotter expressed gratitude via her account, saying on Friday morning that things had been difficult but that she was grateful for the support she has received.
“I’ve had a pretty tough day so far, and it is only 11.30,” she stated. “I had the police in and had to give my statement. I’ve had the dressing taken off my leg. I’ve had to just try to move around a lot. It has just been really difficult.
“Everything feels so restricted and I can’t even imagine hopping up out of bed every again. But I just wanted to come on quickly to say thank you so much for the…I’ve just been show the GoFundMe by Alina. I really can’t believe it, and the peace of mind that it gives me.”
Jäger has rented a wheelchair for Cotter, a requirement from the hospital for her to be released this morning. The Clarewoman is unable to use crutches as she has a broken forearm.
The latter may yet be facing a further operation. “I will go back into hospital on Monday to get a plate put into my arm, if I need it,” she explained. “They are trying to decide on whether I will need it or not. It has just been a really emotional day, getting the statement done and everything. I am just looking forward to my parents getting here.”
In terms of her career, it is not yet clear how long it will take her to recover and return to training and racing. Cotter signed for the Plantur-Pura squad last autumn, securing the contract in the weeks after her national road race championship triumph. Her debut with that team will be delayed due to her injuries, and her participation in next month’s UCI Cycling Esports World Championships appears in serious doubt.
On Monday she had been named part of Cycling Ireland’s five-rider line-up for the online event, which will take place on February 26.
The Gofundme to support Cotter can be found here