A man who was left in a coma after being struck by a motorbike woke up with amnesia and couldn’t remember his eight-year-old son who was killed in the same accident.
Mohamed Mao, 49, was holding his son Mustafa Ahmed’s hand as they crossed a road heading towards Greenwich Islamic Centre in southeast London last February, when they were hit by the motorbike.
Tragically, little Mustafa died at the scene, while Mohamed was airlifted to into hospital after sustaining a head injury and shattered hip alongside his other son 11-year-old Ahmed Ahmed who had a punctured liver and lacerations to his neck.
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As a result of the accident, Mohamed was in an induced coma for several weeks and had to undergo a series of operations; as well as later undergoing intensive therapy to regain his speech and memory.
He is currently awaiting a hip replacement and has to use crutches to get around.
Speaking to the Mirror, Mohamed - who has not been able to return to his job as a bus driver since the accident - said: “I can’t remember anything, I don’t know what happened that night.”
After finally waking from his coma, Mohamed, who is originally from Somalia, had amnesia and underwent weeks of therapy before doctors deemed he was of stable enough mind to tell him what happened.
“When I woke up, I didn’t remember anything, I didn’t know my wife, I didn’t know anybody,” he said.
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“I didn’t know the reason I was there.”
Recalling when he was finally told of his son’s passing, Mohamed said: “It came up after I had speech and language therapy every day for a few weeks. Then I remembered who I am. I lost so many things. I knew nothing at all.” Even on being told about Mustafa - who he could by then remember - he said: “I was still confused a bit, they told me about my son about two months later. When they saw I was speaking better, they called me into a room, with my wife and the doctors and told me what happened.
“It was very bad, I wasn’t thinking properly, but I was feeling very bad. I felt guilty; that it happened because I took him from home that day. I used to think it was because of me. I used to think that way.”
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Mohamed says his strong Muslim faith has helped him through the grieving process - but has said he and his family hope to move house following the incident as their other children no longer want to be in the home without their brother.
Opening up about Ahmed’s recovery, Mohamed said: “He’s recovered but not perfectly. He likes to be alone, he’s quiet all the time. He wants to be sitting alone and keep quiet. Before he was more open. He was very outgoing; now he’s withdrawn, even at school.”
Mohamed is now supporting a campaign to encourage Greenwich Council to make road changes to the spot where Mustafa died, including reducing the speed to 20mph and installing a speed camera.
A council spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Mustafa Ahmed and by the serious injuries caused to his other family members. Immediately after the incident we met with representatives of the Greenwich Islamic Centre, and we have continued to do so.
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"We have been working with the Met Police as part of its investigation to help secure a conviction. An individual has been charged with several offences including causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while driving uninsured, causing death while driving unlicensed, possession of cannabis, and failing to provide a sample of blood.
"The Police have not suggested that there were any issues with the highway that could have prevented this tragic loss of life. While there are no measures that will ever fully protect the public from anyone who chooses to drive recklessly and illegally as a borough, we are committed to Vision Zero: for all deaths and serious injuries from road collisions to be eliminated from our streets. Alongside Transport for London (TfL) we have identified steps we could take to make the road safer - such as refreshing road markings and as part of our upcoming review alongside all other roads in the borough, will consider introducing a 20 mile per hour speed limit."
Claire Reid