Abu Dhabi: A Bangladeshi teenager, who was hit by an Arab motorist in the capital two years ago, is still in a coma. As he continues to battle for his life in a local hospital, the mounting medical bills are also weighing in on the family. Abtahi Siddique, 15, was hit by a speeding car on April 18, 2017, in Musaffah on the outskirts of the capital. The boy was going to a friend’s house to complete a school project and was hit by the vehicle when he was at a pedestrian crossing.
The boy’s father Siddique Ahmad, said, “The hospital is taking good care of my son and we would pay the hospital once we are compensated.”
His eyes are open and he stares at us, but is oblivious of what is happening around him and cannot utter
a word... doctors have told me that when he reaches stage 10, he will be able to walk.
He said, “The car hit my son on the leg and he was thrown up in the air and fell on the windscreen of the car, and then rolled on to the road. He suffered serious head injuries sending him into a coma.”
He said Abtahi, who was in stage 3 coma when the accident happened, is now between stages 6 and 7. “His eyes are open and stares at us but he is oblivious of what is happening around him and cannot utter a word. His condition started improving and doctors have told me that when he reaches stage 10, he will be able to walk,” he said, adding that the family wanted him to continue staying at the hospital so that he would make necessary progress.
“For the last two years we have been shuttling between the hospital and home and spending sleepless nights. These are testing times for the family. Everyday his mother visits the hospital, and sometimes she spends the night too at the hospital. She also has to look after our second child who goes to school. We are going through a very difficult time”, the father said.
The father said life for the family had become difficult ever since the accident. For two years they have not been able to travel back home even to see their parents. “In fact my father-in-law and mother-in-law came here to Abu Dhabi to see my son. They have been very worried and couldn’t stop themselves from coming all the way to see him,” he said, adding that everyone was praying for Abtahi’s speedy recovery.
Abtahi Siddique is a Grade 9 student at Merryland International School in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi.
Abtahi was a bright student and always scored good grades. He aspired to do something in his life, but his dreams have been cut short now.
