Techie comes under train but keeps wits to dial for ambulance, manages to save a leg

Despite excruciating pain and bleeding, the 24-year-old directed the ambulance driver to Baiyappanahalli station which was deserted though it was broad daylight

He had barely cheated death when a moving train ran over him minutes ago, but there was no time to dwell on that. Seated on the railway track, the 24-year-old techie was confronted with the sight of both his legs hanging by a thin layer of skin. He quickly took in the isolated Baiyappanahalli station. Realising he wasn’t going to get help easily, he called for an ambulance and said he had met with an accident. Forty minutes later, he was being wheeled into a hospital. While doctors have managed to save one leg, the other had to be amputated.

What has truly amazed doctors and everyone around is Naseer Ahmed’s exceptional grit. Despite bleeding profusely and being in excruciating pain, Naseer not only called up 108, but he kept giving directions to the ambulance driver too.

Rewinding to the events of July 20, Naseer recounts how he had started the Sunday on a happy note. The software engineer, working with an IT company in Indiranagar, was looking forward to spending the day with a friend in Mysore. He was supposed to return the same day.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Naseer said, “I was in a hurry to take the train and it was about 9.30 am. As soon as I reached the station, I took the tickets and rushed into the train. I did not even check where the train was coming from. I just knew that it was going to Mysore. Just as I got in, I began to feel a little dizzy and decided to stand near the door to get some fresh air. As the train moved a couple of metres ahead, I slipped and fell on the tracks.

Naseer says after the train rushed past, he saw both his legs hanging by the skin. “I looked around for help, but there was absolutely no one around.”

At this point Naseer summoned all his will and made his way to the platform and saw his phone was intact. “I immediately called up 108 for an ambulance and told them to come to the Baiyappanahalli station. After that I called my friend and informed him about the incident. For 40 minutes I sat on the platform waiting for the ambulance.”

As the accident had occurred at a place which wasn’t a main station, Naseer had to keep guiding the ambulance drivers about the exact location. After what seemed like an interminable wait, the ambulance and his friend reached the spot. He was taken to Bowring Hospital first and then to Hosmat for further treatment around 2.45 pm. His father arrived in Bangalore the same evening. A month since the accident, he’s on the road to recovery. The techie, who stays in Indiranagar, is from Hospet in Bellary district. He started working with an IT company in the city about one-and-a-half years ago.

He was treated by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Pradeep Kiran and Dr Priyadarshan who is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon. “When he came to the hospital, his leg was totally crushed and his muscles and blood vessels totally damaged. Both his legs were hanging by the skin. We could do an implantation in his left leg where the severed nerves, blood vessels and muscles could be reconstructed using a special operating microscope. The broken bones were fixed. We had to amputate the right leg since it was completely damaged,” Dr Pradip said.

Doctors admit that calling for an ambulance amid such severe trauma calls for true grit. “Usually, in case of accidents, the patient becomes unconscious immediately if there is a mental shock. But, in this case, he gathered the courage to call the ambulance at the right time. He was, however, unconscious later because of the excessive bleeding,” Dr Kiran said.

In a week’s time an artificial leg will be fitted to his right side after which he will be able to walk. “If we fix the other leg, prosthesis will help make him ambulatory soon,” Dr Priyadarshan said.