The dream of Chidiebere Okafor, 19, from Abagana in the Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State was to become a renown auto mechanic with patrons far and wide.

However, the dream was aborted on December 13, 2014, by an auto crash that claimed his legs only two months after he enrolled in an auto workshop.

Chidiebere, the fourth child in the family of 10, said the accident had incapacitated and confined him to the wheelchair.

Narrating his ordeal to our correspondent from his hospital bed at Hornsmans Hospital Aba, Abia State, Chidiebere said he was a Senior Secondary School 2 student of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Secondary School, Abagana, and had dropped out for a career in auto mechanic following the inability of his parents to cope with the increasing burden of training him and his seven siblings.

He said his parents arranged for him to undertake the career under the tutelage of Bony Mass Company based in Aba, Abia State.

Chidiebere recalled that he had barely stayed for two months with his boss when he was sent with a senior mechanic in the company in December 2014 to Calabar, Cross River State, to repair a truck which broke down.

“We stayed for three days in Calabar repairing the truck. But while we were working on the lorry, the driver was busy drinking beer. After repairing the truck, we left the place for home. The driver and the senior mechanic were at the front, while I was asked to sit on the chipping that the truck was conveying at the back.

“Soon, the drunken driver started dragging the road with other vehicles. He did not listen to any advice.”

His fears came to fruition as they were approaching Azumini in the Ukwa area of Abia State. The driver was said to have negotiated a sharp bend on high speed which made the truck to face another vehicle coming from the opposite direction.

He said, “As the driver struggled to avoid a head-on collision with the oncoming vehicle, the bucket of the truck broke away from head of the vehicle and buried me under the chipping. Later I heard voices shouting my name and I used my last strength to shout. When I was eventually freed from the chipping which had buried me, my two legs had been chopped off.”

Chidiebere was reportedly rushed to six different hospitals before he was finally admitted at Hornsmans Hospital.

Chidiebere made an appeal to the government and “kind Nigerians” to help him get artificial legs and job to keep soul and body together.

“I am willing to do any legal job that will make me take care of myself and family. All I need is support,” he said.

His father, Donatus Okafor, said he was contacted around 10pm on the fateful date.

He said, “The following day, I came to the hospital and I hardly recognised my son because of his condition.”

Donatus said the family decided to allow Chidiebere acquire vocational skill because of biting economic hardship.

He said he was formerly a driver but had to quit owing to ill health.

Donatus said the manager of the Bonny Mass Company came to the hospital and promised to foot the cost of Chidiebere’s treatment.

“The manager told me not to contact the police, but after coming to visit us at the hospital for a while he stopped coming. He only brought N79,000 out of the initial deposit of N130,000 that was made . I paid the rest. I never saw him or heard from him again. Even the driver that put my son in this condition never came here for one day to see him. The owner of the company had also yet to come.

The father said Chidiebere’s medical bill was N533,810, adding that they had not left the hospital since he was discharged in April for lack of funds.

He said the member representing Aba North/ Aba South Federal Constituency, Mr. Ossy Prestige, just picked the bill.

The ex- driver who said he had no means of livelihood at the moment appealed to other public spirited individuals to assist him secure artificial limbs for Chidiebere .

“I don’t have work now and my wife sells agidi (corn meal) which is the only source of income to the family. I beg the people to come to our rescue.”

According to a hospital source, one artificial leg sells for about N300,000.

When contacted on 07031118036, the man simply identified as the manager of the company told our correspondent that, “I am not in the position to answer the questions you are asking.”

The manager then switched off his phone and refused to pick further calls.

Similarly, the driver of the truck, who was contacted through 08034982754, told our correspondent that he would call back, but never did. When he was contacted the following day, his line rang out.

One of the consultant orthopedists at the hospital, Dr. Emmanuel Emelike attributed Chidiebere’s survival to divine intervention and hard work on the part of the hospital.

OASESNEWS.COM put a call through to the driver of this truck twice between  8.10pm and 8.16pm to get his own side of the story but the Publisher got a harsh tone with high pitch saying "who are you?", "who is that?".  The driver did not switch off his phone but he kept it on and one could hear the sound of movvement from the background.

Source:  Anambrariannews