Nannu Ram Gujjar, 42, of Khor village in Sikar district of the western Rajasthan state, has been undergoing treatment at Saudi German Hospital (SGH) for more than 18 months.
He was crossing Prince Sultan Street in north Jeddah when he was trapped under the wheels of a passing car. The driver of the car stopped immediately, called police and Gujjar was subsequently admitted to hospital.
Davis Joseph, senior manager of Federal Bank, was on a visit to the city as part of the bank’s promotional tour. While crossing a road in south Jeddah a few days ago, he was run over by a taxi in a hit-and-run.
The taxi driver, believed to be a south Asian, is still on the run. Police have impounded the vehicle and are investigating the matter.
Fifty-year-old Joseph, from Chalakudy town in the southern state of Kerala, has been in a coma ever since the accident and is in intensive care at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Mahjar district. Doctors said he suffered head injuries and his left side is paralyzed.
Joseph has three children and his wife works as a school principal back in India.
Gujjar remained in intensive care, mostly in coma, since the accident on March 31, 2009. He suffered brain damage and is also paralyzed. He regained consciousness after a long time, but suffers from memory loss. “He is conscious but blank faced,” says one of his friends, who is the only link between Gujjar and his family.
Gujjar, a driver by profession, worked for a former employee of Saudi Aramco in Dammam for 13 years. He is said to have embraced Islam three months prior to the accident.
Gujjar has four children aged 12 to 19. His wife has been suffering from severe depression since the day she learned about the accident.
While his family suffers in anguish and has been unable to talk to him since the accident, Gujjar continues to suffer in the hospital. “His memory is unreliable and there is a deep incision the size of a cricket ball on the right side of his head. His condition is indeed pitiful. He has had no visitors as he came here alone to support his family,” says his friend, also a driver.
He said Gujjar was a very family-centric man, devoted to providing for his wife and children.
The hospital’s staff, who have been very cooperative and caring, say they have done as much as they can for him. “What he needs most is to go home. However, due to legal issues, he is unable to do so,” said one of them.
It is learned that the legal aspect of Gujjar’s case is being handled by SGH, which has spent thousands of riyals for his treatment.
Meanwhile, Gujjar’s family insists that he should be sent home. The hospital reportedly maintains that Gujjar is not physically fit to travel and that his case is sub judice.
An official at the Consulate General of India said the mission was aware of both cases and its representatives have been visiting the two victims periodically. “We are trying to do what we can in the given circumstances,” he added.
