Crippling mistakes: Injured drivers who failed to wear seatbelt urge others to buckle up

Ali is one of five men currently in Rashid Hospital urging motorists not to make the same mistakes they did

Ali Ahmad has spent the past eight years in a Dubai hospital bed after he was paralysed following a car crash – he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time of the smash.

The 29-year-old has not walked a single step since that fateful night back in 2006, when he fell asleep at the wheel while driving in Al Awir about midnight, his car veering off the road and flipping several times.

Ali is one of five men currently in Rashid Hospital who have suffered life-changing injuries following a moment of madness behind the wheel, during which they ignored the merits of seatbelt safety.

Now, all five are urging motorists not to make the same mistakes they did.

Speaking to 7DAYS in hospital yesterday, Ali said: “I was just a student at the time of the accident.

“My life is ruined now but it is my mistake.

“I don’t remember what happened. They told me the car flipped several times. I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and I hurt my spine.”

Ali is unlikely to ever walk again and only has limited movement in his arms. He also struggles to speak as a result of spinal and nerve damage.

“Road users, please sleep well before jumping behind the wheel and don’t drive if you are exhausted,” he said.

Ali was breaking the law by not wearing a seatbelt while driving – it is mandatory for drivers and front-seat passengers to buckle up.

But his story and the stark warning to other motorists come as the UAE awaits a law for child car seats and buckling up in the back.

The UAE Federal Traffic Council has promised such a law will be enforced “soon”.

Dr Faisal Al Badri, head of the General Surgery Unit at Rashid Hospital, said his teams are seeing between two and five people every day with serious injuries following traffic accidents.

“Motorists must pay more attention while driving to prevent the casualties,” said Al Badri.

Ali said: “I still don’t remember what happened. It was after midnight in 2006, and I fell asleep while driving and then I found myself in Rashid Hospital.

“They told me that my car went outside the road to the sand and collapsed several times. I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and I hurt my spine.”

The Emirati has been paralysed since and Rashid hospital has become his home. Lying in his hospital bed, with a wheelchair beside him, he watches people in the streets below walk by.

Ali struggles to speak, due to nerve and spinal damage. Over time he has regained partial use of his hands, allowing him some control over his wheelchair.

He said: “I’m 29 years old.

“I was just a student at the time. My life is ruined but it was my mistake.

“Road users, please sleep well before jumping behind the wheel and don’t drive if you are exhausted. I am still smiling, despite my situation.

“Hopefully one day I will walk again without using a wheelchair.”

Five drivers who suffered life-changing injuries today warn motorists about driving at excessive speeds and without seatbelts.

The luckiest of the five suffered snapped bones and spent months in hospital. However, two suffered spinal injuries and are unable to work or live without help.

Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, head of Dubai Traffic Police, visited the injured men yesterday and said: “We want all motorists to hear these stories and to pay attention, so that they do not end up like them, in hospitals and with shattered families.”

Federal traffic law requires only drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seatbelts.

Mohammed suffered a broken thigh after he crashed into a vehicle in Dubai last week

According to the World Health Organisation, as of 2011, only 78 per cent of front-seat passengers wore seatbelts in the UAE. A front-seat passenger is 40-50 per cent less likely to die if wearing a seatbelt.

The risk reduction for rear-seat passengers is between 25-75 per cent, research shows.

Mohammed suffered a shattered thigh when he crashed into a maintenance vehicle on a Dubai road last week.

The Syrian, who asked not to give his surname, said: “I was with some friends and was returning back home, driving my 4×4 Volkswagen.

“I didn’t pay attention to the road and I can’t remember what happened. I just found myself bleeding after hitting the vehicle from behind.

“It was my mistake and I wasn’t a wearing seatbelt. Thank God I didn’t die. Motorists must be careful while driving and pay more attention to the road because you will never know what will happen next.”

Ahmad, 19, wasn’t wearing a seatbelt when he lost control of the Lexus he was driving in Dubai

Ahmad was driving along Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road in Dubai earlier this year when he lost control of his Lexus and the car crashed and flipped. Like the others, he was not wearing a seatbelt.

The Emirati said: “I was driving at 120kph on the left lane of the road when I tried to catch an exit to the right.

“I lost control of the wheel and my car crashed and flipped over twice. “I suffered a broken shoulder and arm and also injured my spine.

“I needed six months therapy to recover and walk again.”

Ahmad said he thought he could control his car well in any situation.

“I learned the hard way that accidents can happen in a second and no matter how good your driving skills are, you still may lose your life. Just be careful please.”

Khalid Ben Sweedan, 44, was injured after one of the tyres on his friend’s Land Cruiser exploded

Khalid was a passenger in a friend’s Land Cruiser, which had been modified with the installation of oversized wheels.

They were driving on Sheikh Zayed Road when one of the tyres exploded in March.

He said: “We were driving at 120kph on SZR and we took a turn when the tyre exploded.

“It exploded because we modified the car and used bigger tyres.

“I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt and I jumped out the window, but the car landed on me.”

His spine was badly injured and he was totally paralysed at first. Over the course of this year he has recovered, but still cannot walk.

He added: “The accident happened in March and I am still recovering.

“I lost my job and can’t support my family. “I would advise motorists not to modify their vehicles for any reason.

“I can’t do anything now. It was a big mistake when I didn’t put the seatbelt on.”

Hassan was driving his Lexus at 120kph in Ras Al Khaimah last week when a car on the opposite side of the road veered into his lane, heading straight towards him.

The Emirati tried to avoid the car by swerving to the right, but lost control.

He veered off the road and smashed into a tree, before hitting a second and coming to a halt.

Hassan said: “I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and have a broken thigh and leg.

“Amazingly I survived the crash. On the road, you can be surprised in a second.

“Motorists need to be prepared if they drive at high speed. And they need to wear a seatbelt – it might save their life.”

ali.shouk@7days.ae