Dubai parents tell of anguish after boy paralysed and girl badly hurt in wall collapse

Police are investigating the accident in January

Rakan Al Omari and Myra Bonnici suffered life-changing injuries in the accident. Courtesy: Family photos

The parents of two children who were badly hurt when a wall collapsed on them have spoken of their anguish.

Rakan Al Omari and Myra Bonnici suffered spinal injuries when a temporary billboard structure fell on them in Dubai's Town Square community.

Rakan, 12, from Jordan was left paralysed below the waist.

Myra, 12, from Australia, suffered a broken arm and damage to her vertebrae in the accident in January.

Dubai Police said it could not comment but confirmed forensics and safety experts were investigating further. 

The family was told a sub-contractor who installed the billboard faces prosecution. The firm, who The National has not named, could not be reached for comment.

Rakan’s mother, Rawia Hammouri, said she was devastated by the injuries her son sustained.

“I rushed over and saw a wall had fallen on Rakan, he was conscious and crying,” she said.

A team of security guards were able to lift the wall and free the children after several attempts.

Ms Hammouri, 45, from Jordan, said her son was taken to nearby Mediclinic Parkview. He was later transferred to Rashid Hospital, which has the country's largest trauma unit, before doctors recommended special treatment in Germany.

The family were able to fly Rakan to a specialist clinic in Brandenburg for treatment, after a benefactor came forward to offer financial help.

“We were there for two weeks but the coronavirus outbreak happened and we returned to Dubai because they didn’t have the resources to perform the surgery,” she said.

“Now he’s home but he is unable to move at all.”

The family faces monthly bills of more than Dh20,000 for his treatment, which includes physical, occupational and psychological rehabilitation.

"There are no words to describe how difficult it is to watch him suffer like this," Ms Hammouri, a school teacher, told The National.

“The insurance we have is pretty basic so it doesn’t cover the cost of his care.”

“The problem is his spinal cord has not set in despite the treatment he received," she said.

In addition to the cost of the spinal chord surgery the family has had to pay out tens of thousands of dirhams for a wheelchair, stand-up therapy machine, special toilet, shower seat and a specialised bed.

He also has to receive daily injections and have catheters placed in him to fend off urinary infections.

The child has to undergo at least two physiotherapy sessions a week.

“We’re paying out tens and tens of thousands each month,” said Ms Hammouri.

“It is heartbreaking because he was such an active boy who always cycled or played on his scooter.”

Denise Bonnici said her daughter has been unable to sit up or stand properly since.

“I remember getting the call to come quickly. Myra’s brother Mykl was near and shouted, thinking his sister was dead,” she said.

“She had serious injuries. The doctors told us she had suffered damage to 25 per cent of her body.”

Surgeons put six pins and two rods in her back. Her hand was also seriously damaged in the accident.

“She can’t sit down for more than two hours because of what happened,” said Ms Bonnici.

“She can’t play the violin or piano now and she was so good at it. She had been taking lessons since she was six.

“We haven’t been able to send her back to school either.”

An initial Dubai Police report into the accident confirmed the billboard was part of an events stage that was set up in Town Square's main park.

“It was not fixed to the ground with screws but with sandbags,” added the report.

“The billboard collapsed due to heavy winds.”

Town Square developer Nshama, who was not blamed for the accident, said it could not comment while the investigation was ongoing.