"I've had so many visitors," said Laux, talking from his hospital bed in Kota Kinabalu. "People have been really kind. They've brought me flowers and tons of food."

But despite the outpouring of sympathy, Laux isn't easily consoled. "Of course, I'd much rather be out there than in this hospital room," he said.

David Laux "We had an agreement among us. If someone gets hurt, the others go on. They couldn't do anything for me at that point anyway."

One of his visitors was Team Ernst & Young's honorary member, a local girl who had helped the squad plant a tree prior to the race. Working with the girl's mother, a school principal, Laux has already set up a cultural exchange program. At Laux's six-year-old daughter's school in Texas, they will do a project about Malaysia, and in Kota Kinabalu the schoolchildren will do a project about the United States.

The accident that put Laux in the hospital occurred August 23, during the first few kilometers of the bike leg. While negotiating a steep turn, Laux crashed into a protruding branch, puncturing his chest and collapsing his left lung. He was emergency airlifted to the on-course medical center, and later transferred to the Sabah Medical Clinic.

Laux said his team had discussed an injury plan before the race started. "We had an agreement among us," he said. "If someone gets hurt, the others go on. They couldn't do anything for me at that point anyway."

His teammates, however, admitted that the decision wasn't so black and white. "After the accident, we wrestled with it a lot," they told reporters. "We weren't sure of getting back onto the bikes. When we decided to continue, we ... walked our bikes past the spot (where the accident occurred)."

The three remaining members of Team Ernst & Young – Tracy Fee, Brad Pennington and Nancy Bristow – picked up a member of Team Racingtheplanet.com, a team that was disqualified today. The new foursome is currently on the Sampan canoeing leg.

Less than a week after the injury occurred, Laux was already thinking of ways to get back on the course. He hoped to be released by August 28, but had not yet received permission from the doctors. "I'd like to be back out to greet teams at the finish line," he said.

Laux, who once survived a parachuting accident, said that he's known for getting hurt frequently. "I usually get in the hospital at least once every couple of years," he said. "I was due."

The team has not discussed whether they will race together next year, though Laux does not hesitate to say that he's ready to do the Eco-Challenge again. "As long as I can get into the race again, I'll do it again," he said. "I definitely want to come back next year."


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