ABU DHABI // Is Dh600,000 enough money to compensate for losing a leg? That’s a question AT, 34, asks those who believe that she should be satisfied with the amount awarded to her by the court for losing her right leg in a bus accident in 2007.
“Is that enough money for the pain and suffering I go through every second,” asked the 34-year-old Filipina.
The accident that changed her life happened when she was heading to Abu Dhabi, after spending time with friends in Al Ain in 2012.
“I took one day off of work to visit my friends. I went on Tuesday and went back on Wednesday evening at 11pm. At around 12.15am Thursday the accident happened, 10 minutes prior to us arriving at the station,” she said.
She was sitting in the front window seat, and was asleep when tragedy struck.
“All I remember is I heard a large bang and felt myself moving up and down. When I opened my eyes, I was facing the side. My chair flipped. The side of the bus was scraped off. I felt that my leg was numb. When I lifted it up, it was gone,” she said
Her reaction was unusual.
“I thought I was dreaming. It took me a few minutes to realise that this was real. There was a guy who I think jumped off the bus. He kept calling me to get off. I told him I had no legs and couldn’t go down. When he looked at me, he screamed. At that time I realised that it was serious and I had become handicapped.”
AT asked the man to help her look for her bag.
“I didn’t want to go to the hospital without anyone knowing. I searched for my phone and the first person I called was a close friend.” The she called her a friend she works and lives with.
AT calmly told her that she wouldn’t be coming into work the next day because she lost her leg in an accident.
“She didn’t believe me because I was so calm. I just wanted someone to know where I was because I knew I’d be gone for a long time.
AT was taken to Rashid hospital where she remained for two months and underwent three surgeries. Both legs were broken and her right one was amputated just below the knee during the accident.
For five months after the operation, AT was unable to walk. Once her wounds healed she got a prosthetic leg and now uses a cane to walk.
“Without the cane, I limp and its even more tiring to walk. I have constant pain in my legs. That’s why its hard for me to accept. I thought before, if I got a prosthetic then that’s it. I didn’t know that I had to wear a silicon lining.”
The lining is a mould that has to be slipped on the leg before attaching the prosthetic.
“It is very tight. Usually for amputees the bones is cut straight but since the accident they tried to save what they could and the bone is jagged which causes me a lot of pain. I can have it cut off but this will require another operation and I don’t want to go through that again so Ill just bear the pain.”
She says her life has completely changed since the accident.
“Before I could live alone. Now I need someone to be living with me.”
Doing simple tasks is difficult.
“Everything is very different. I used to be very active and played volleyball and table tennis. Now I cant because I cant run. I can’t do any sports. Now I’m always at home. I
can’t go [out] alone. I also can’t commute or travel alone, especially in the Philippines.”
In December last year, a judge granted AT Dh600,000 in compensation.
“I don’t know if its a crazy amount but I think I deserve a million,” she said. “I didn’t chose that this happen to me and like anyone who has gone through something like this, I want a better life. My parents tell me that I should be grateful and if I were in the Philippines, Id be getting nothing.”
salnuwais@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Rasi, Harry Bentley (jockey), Sulaiman Al Ghunaimi (trainer).
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m; Winner: Ya Hayati, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Magic Lily, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Eynhallow, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Sri Lanka Test squad:
Dimuth Karunaratne (stand-in captain), Niroshan Dickwella (vice captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohamed Shiraz, Lakshan Sandakan and Lasith Embuldeniya.
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The%20specs
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
