Motorcyclist caught in crash on Waterview and Synergy Park

The business analytics grad student underwent multiple surgeries in recovery

A UTD graduate student got into a serious motorcycle accident near campus on Nov. 15 and is currently in recovery.

Business analytics graduate Ralish Routray was on his way to UTD around 7:30 p.m. to meet with a friend. He was waiting at the traffic light between Waterview Parkway and Synergy Park Boulevard and made a rushed left turn when the traffic light was flashing yellow. Instead of yielding, Routray turned left too soon, which is when a car crashed directly into his motorcycle. While Routray survived the accident, he faces severe health problems which prevented him from being able to complete his fall semester.

As a result of the accident, Routray broke his femur and pelvis, undergoing numerous surgeries over the seven days following the collision. The surgeries fixed his broken limbs

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and prevented further internal bleeding from occurring; however, Routray suffered an additional complication from the collision before being released.

“When they were about to discharge me from the hospital, they found out that there was a hole in my intestine caused by the broken bone fragments,” Routray said.

Due to this complication, Routray needed yet another surgery which extended his recovery time. He now has to wear a colostomy bag for the next six months.

“Orthopedic wise, recovery is going pretty well but colostomy-wise, recovery is very slow,” Routray said. “After six months, I’ll need another surgery.”

In early December, Routray moved into a rehabilitation facility to get proper treatment and heal from his injuries with the help of medication and physical therapy.

One of Routray’s primary concerns following the accident was the impact it would have on his academics. He was supposed to graduate this fall, but due to his injuries he will be graduating next spring. In addition to the delay in graduation, Routray was unable to finish his fall semester. His professors have allowed him to take his final exams at a later date for classes he took during the fall semester.

“It was a whole six-month shift for me. I can’t even do an internship because my injuries have prevented me from being able to search and interview for them,” Routray said. “I feel like this injury caused a lot of time to be wasted for me.”

Loknath Patro, a member of the DFW Orissa society -- a subcultural Indian organization -- said that the organization has been

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How do you feel about the decision to delay the start to in-person classes?

"I think it's a very delayed response, it's the right response but it was delivered too late and that has affected a lot of people's plans. I don't disagree with it, I understand it's for the safety of the university and all, but I also just wish that they had announced it earlier so that we'd have time to situate."

-Lam Nguyen, ITS senior

"To be honest, I don't mind it... I don't know that two weeks of delayed instruction is gonna change the fact that we are getting a lot of cases every day. So I don't know if just delaying it will make any impact. In my opinion if they had started at the scheduled time, it wouldn't have changed anything."

-Gandhar Yedsikar, business analytics graduate student

"I think they should open up sooner. Because having to do online classes is a difficult task. Like, [the professor] says 'there's the carbon and there's the hydrocarbon'. But you cannot see which one she's pointing at right? ... I'd very much like if the classes are in person.

-Hansel Chand, biology junior