Caryn Dolley
A TABLE mountain hiker who was mugged four days ago has a fractured skull, and will need special care once he leaves hospital.
Claudio Massenz, who was injured when mugged above Rhodes Memorial also has a swollen brain which doctors are constantly having to drain blood from, and is struggling to speak coherently.
The attack on Massenz is among the most serious to date in the recent spate of mountain muggings.
The 26-year-old’s father, Oscar Massenz of Welgemoed, said yesterday doctors had told him that when Claudio is eventually discharged from hospital, he would need special care as he was expected to have epileptic fits as a result of the trauma to his head.
Due to the severity of his injuries, Claudio, a third-year industrial design student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and a part-time model, may not be able to go to Finland as an exchange student in about a month’s time.
On Monday, Claudio had gone hiking with two friends. When they were near the King’s Blockhouse, two or three men had approached them. “We’re still not completely sure what happened. But it seems one grabbed Claudio’s friend. Claudio tried to punch one, then they pulled out knives. When he was running away, (Claudio) fell down into a ravine.
“We’re not exactly sure when he hit his head. We heard it could’ve been hit with a brick, but why would there be a brick on the mountain?” Massenz said.
He said Claudio had managed to call a friend from the spot where he had landed using his cellphone, which had not been in his backpack that was stolen, begging for help.
“He was lying in water for over an hour. He kept saying: ‘I’m up high.’ They found him later,” Massenz said.
He and his wife Francesca had seen Claudio for the first time after the mugging in hospital. “When I saw him that day, I thought: ‘My son’s going to die.’ He was completely out of it,” Massenz said.
He said Claudio’s skull was fractured just above his left ear. “He had an operation two days ago. Because of the injuries to the left side of his head, his speech has been affected. He’s slurring.
“Claudio’s a talker. He talks a lot and fast. But when you speak to him now, he’s a completely different person,” Massenz said.
It was not yet clear how long it would take Claudio, being treated in Groote Schuur Hospital, to recover.
“His brain is swollen and still has blood inside. They keep draining it. He loses track of time and his surroundings. He’s quite heavily sedated at the moment. I don’t know when he’s coming out of hospital.
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caryn.dolley@inl.co.za