Construction worker in ICU after freak accident

A construction worker fleeing from a collapsing wall, ran into a steel rod which embedded itself in his forehead yesterday.

Workmates tried to cut the rod with an electric saw, but the injured man was rushed to hospital with it still projecting from his skull.

Surgeons managed to remove it, but late yesterday the workman was still in an unstable condition in a hospital intensive care unit.

The freak accident occurred at a worksite near the Clock Tower in Deira at 6.45am yesterday.
Three other workers were injured. A rescue unit from Dubai Police and Civil Defence rushed to the scene.

According to First Lieutenant Juma Ahmed Butti bin Darwish, the workers were in the process of installing a foundation for the building. They were in the basement when a wall, still damp, began to crumble.

Mankal Jihali, a Nepalese worker, tried to escape, but instead slammed into a steel rod, impaling his head on it.

By the time the rescue units arrived, his co-workers were attempting to cut off the steel rod with an electric saw.

Jihali was rushed to Rashid Hospital. The other injured workers, Mufid Abdul Majid, a 31-year-old Pakistani, and Mohammed Selim Kokar, a 32-year-old Indian, suffered fractures and were also admitted to the hospital.

A third worker, Mohammed Amin Eddin, a 50-year-old Pakistani, received treatment and was allowed home.

A14-strong team from the Karama Civil Defence Centre was involved in the rescue operation. Six members of the Dubai Police Rescue Unit also took part.