Accident Victim Leaves Hospital, Needs N600,000 For Limbs

 Chidiebere Okafor

A victim of an auto crash , Chidiebere Okafor, who has been confined to the wheelchair following the accident that claimed both legs, has finally left the hospital five months after he was discharged.

The victim, who was an auto mechanic apprentice in Aba, Abia State, had stayed back at the hospital where he was treated because he could not foot his medical bill put at N533,810.

But reprieve came his way about two weeks ago when a philanthropist, who heard about his ordeals, paid the money.

The victim’s father, Mr. Donatus Okafor, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone from his Abagana country home in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, said Chidiebere left the hospital last week.

He thanked those who had shown the family love, especially the one that footed the medical bill.

He, however, added that the family needed money to buy artificial limbs for Chidiebere, and to repay some debts he incurred while they were in the hospital.

Okafor, who gave his phone numbers as 08038255608 and 07085904270, also appealed to the government to quickly come to the aid of the family.

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

The 19-year-old quit his studies to acquire a skill in auto mechanic following the inability of his parents to bear the burden of training him and his seven siblings. He had barely trained for two months before the ugly incident.

He had gone to Calabar to repair a truck belonging to his boss when he was involved in the accident on December 13, 2014.

Okafor, who is currently out of job owing to ill health, accused the victim’s master, Bony Mass Company, of abandoning him.

Chidiebere, the fourth child in a family of eight, had said the crash was due to the driver’s recklessness as a result of drunkenness.

He had also appealed to government to give him a job, expressing willingness to do any type of legal job to keep body and soul together.

Meanwhile, the Abia State Police Command insisted that it needed a formal report to arrest and prosecute the said driver .

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Udeviotu Onyeke, said the failure of the driver to report the accident also constituted a serious traffic offence.