Dubai: When taxi driver Salam Abdul Rasheed set out on New Year’s Eve in the hope of making some quick bucks, little did he know that the New Year had some harsh realities in store for him.
Blinded by a thick blanket of fog, the 32-year-old Bangladeshi crashed into a recovery truck near Dubai World Trade Centre, never to open his eyes again. He lost his eyesight in the accident.
“It was around six in the morning and the road was covered with a thick blanket of fog, I couldn’t see a thing. I don’t remember how I veered off the track and hit the truck,” said Rasheed, speaking to Gulf News from his shared accommodation in Hor Al Anz.
A taxi driver for four years, Rasheed usually started his shift at 3am and he did the same on that New Year’s morning as well.
“It was a routine morning for me until what happened. After a few trips I was heading towards JW Marquis Hotel. After coming down the new Zabeel flyover I passed the small traffic light and the last thing I remember is a big thud and blood dripping from my face,” said Rasheed, recalling the fateful morning.
Rasheed sustained multiple fractures on his face and underwent four surgeries, but his eyesight couldn’t be restored.
“I was in the intensive care unit for 17 days. I underwent four surgeries, one each on the nose, jaw, eyes and head. When I regained consciousness I didn’t know I couldn’t see. The nurse in the hospital told me about it. She also said there was hope of recovering sight in the right eye. I didn’t know how to react. I feel Allah gave me a new life and I thank him for that,” added Rasheed, who is looking forward to receiving treatment for his right eye soon.
He says doctors have given him hope that treatment on his right eye, which is watering, can be started after a few months and he will have to possibly undergo another surgery.
But, before that Rasheed has to get his case cleared, which is pending in the court, in order to receive his dues and compensation from Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), for whom he worked.
“I have been waiting since I was discharged from Rashid Hospital’s Trauma Centre on February 20. I visited the office several times with the help of friends but I haven’t received even a penny so far. As a taxi driver I don’t get any salary without work, so I don’t have any money to pay for my rent or food. I have been surviving on my friends’ charity,” said Rasheed, who is not sure what the future holds for him.
Speaking about the case, a spokesperson at the DTC said that the company’s legal team has taken up the case with the insurance company and is doing its best to grant Rasheed his rightful dues.
“The insurance company has agreed to pay Dh35,000 to Salam Abdul Rasheed, but we have not accepted it. We are seeking to get a higher amount for the victim, which is pending approval now,” the spokesperson said.
Rasheed’s employment visa is valid until April 2016, and he hopes he can stay here until then to receive the treatment he requires to regain his eyesight.
“I don’t know what will happen if I go back. I don’t think I will be able to receive proper treatment back home. We are poor and I don’t want to be a burden on my family,” said Rasheed, who got married three years ago and is th lone breadwinner in his family that includes his old father and a younger brother.
