Dad woke from coma and didn't remember he had a son, 8, who died in same crash

31 October 2023 , 09:36

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Mohamed Mao, 49, did not remember he even had a son following the tragedy (Image: The Daily Mirror)

A dad struck in a motorbike crash woke from a coma with amnesia and didn't remember he'd an eight-year-old son, who he was then told was killed in the same accident.

Mohamed Mao, 49, was holding little Mustafa Ahmed’s hand as they crossed the road towards Greenwich Islamic Centre in southeast London when they were struck by the vehicle. The small boy was flung several yards and died at the scene, while Mohamed suffered a head injury and shattered hip. He was airlifted to hospital with his other son, Ahmed Ahmed, 11, who sustained a punctured liver and neck lacerations.

The family-of-three had walked from their home in Woolwich Dockyard for the evening prayer session on Sunday, February 19, and were crossing at the traffic lights around 7.30pm. Mohamed was in an induced coma for several weeks and underwent multiple operations as well as intensive therapy to regain his speech and memory.

Mohamed suffered head injuries and a shattered hip in the crash (The Daily Mirror)

Mohamed is awaiting a hip replacement (The Daily Mirror)

He agreed to return to the scene with the Mirror on Thursday (October 19) to speak about the accident, he and Ahmed’s ongoing recovery, and his family’s heartbreak. The bus driver, originally from Somalia, has not been able to work since the incident and, walking on crutches, he is still awaiting a hip replacement.

“I can’t remember anything, I don’t know what happened that night,” he explained. He understands from witness accounts the lights were on red as they crossed. The junction has been an issue raised to the council before, with locals complaining that motorists drive too fast and approach the lights almost blindly. They also say the lights don’t stay red long enough, with multiple other accidents occurring.

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Mustafa Ahmed, eight, was killed as he crossed the road

Mustafa with his older brother Ahmed

Mohamed's last memory of Mustafa was a few days before. “I went for a walk, just me and him, along the River Thames near our house,” he said, smiling. “We used to go along there a lot. That’s all I can remember.”

Mohamed was in a coma for around two months, he believes, and then weeks of therapy took place before doctors deemed he was of stable enough mind to tell him what happened. “When I woke up, I didn’t remember anything, I didn’t know my wife, I didn’t know anybody,” he said. “I didn’t know the reason I was there.”

Mohamed and his son Mustafa

Ahmed and Mustafa were very close

Recalling when he was finally told of his son’s passing, Mohamed said: “It came up after I had speech and language therapy every day for a few weeks. Then I remembered who I am. I lost so many things. I knew nothing at all.” Even on being told about Mustafa - who he could by then remember - he said: “I was still confused a bit, they told me about my son about two months later. When they saw I was speaking better, they called me into a room, with my wife and the doctors and told me what happened.

“It was very bad, I wasn’t thinking properly, but I was feeling very bad. I felt guilty; that it happened because I took him from home that day. I used to think it was because of me. I used to think that way.” However, Mohamed said his Muslim faith has helped him during the grieving process and he accepts he cannot change what happened. “It was our destiny,” he said.

Mohamed agreed to return to the spot where his son was killed (The Daily Mirror)

But he and his wife Heyfa Akubar, 43, are hoping to move out of the house and are on the council’s waiting list. “The children and my wife don’t want to stay in the house,” he said. “There are too many memories.” Ahmed - who shared a bedroom with Mustafa - now sleeps with one of his sisters. “He won’t go in his old room, none of the children will," said Mohamed. "Only me and my wife go in there sometimes but it’s not easy, there’s so much memory in there.”

Asked how Ahmed’s recovery has gone, he said: “He’s recovered but not perfectly. He likes to be alone, he’s quiet all the time. He wants to be sitting alone and keep quiet. Before he was more open. He was very outgoing; now he’s withdrawn, even at school.”

The family were crossing the road to attend a prayer session at Greenwich Islamic Centre (Google Maps)

Mohamed said he and mum Heyfa will sometimes ask Ahmed about his brother and what happened, but he refuses to answer. “They were very close, the only boys in the house," he explained. "He doesn’t want to talk about it. We even try to talk to him, me and his mum, we ask him things or talk about his brother but he won’t.”

Mohamed continues to use the same Islamic centre but now has to be taken by car. However, Heyfa prays at a different mosque. Friend Swaleh Bocus, who joined Mohamed at the scene to speak to the Mirror, said he had been praying inside the centre when it was announced there had been an accident. The congregation all went outside.

A mangled car was left at the scene for several days following the accident (Ryan Merrifield/Daily Mirror)

Swaleh said he saw Heyfa come rushing through the police cordon and collapse to the ground in tears - though he didn’t recognise her at first. He said: “I saw a lady crossing the police cordon so I shouted ‘you are not allowed to go there’, not knowing that was the mum.

“She had seen her son’s things, she knew he had died. She just fell down and collapsed and the officers and paramedics surrounded her to comfort her. She didn’t stand up for nearly half an hour, she was just crying. They said ‘leave her! Don’t run to her! She’s the mum!’ She could see the boy.”

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Swaleh and Mohamed are supporting a campaign to encourage Greenwich Council to make road changes to the spot where Mustafa died, including reducing the speed to 20mph and installing a speed camera. However, Swaleh said they felt "let down and ignored" by the local authority as they push to open effective communication.

The scene on the evening of the crash in February (Jamie Lashmar / Story Picture Agency)

A council spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Mustafa Ahmed and by the serious injuries caused to his other family members. Immediately after the incident we met with representatives of the Greenwich Islamic Centre, and we have continued to do so.

"We have been working with the Met Police as part of its investigation to help secure a conviction. An individual has been charged with several offences including causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while driving uninsured, causing death while driving unlicensed, possession of cannabis, and failing to provide a sample of blood.

"The Police have not suggested that there were any issues with the highway that could have prevented this tragic loss of life. While there are no measures that will ever fully protect the public from anyone who chooses to drive recklessly and illegally as a borough, we are committed to Vision Zero: for all deaths and serious injuries from road collisions to be eliminated from our streets. Alongside Transport for London (TfL) we have identified steps we could take to make the road safer - such as refreshing road markings and as part of our upcoming review alongside all other roads in the borough, will consider introducing a 20 mile per hour speed limit.

"Local groups have suggested other measures that could potentially improve road safety too, which we have shared with the Police and TfL for consideration as part of the investigation. We will respond to all the points made by the petition at our Highway’s Committee on 8 November. Data on collisions is publicly available on TfL’s website and we are happy to help local groups interpret it."

Ryan Merrifield