New Zealand teen Ishaan Prasaad was struck by a train as he rode his bicycle to school one year ago. Thought to be dead, the now 17-year-old is walking!
As the drivers saw the boy headed for the train, Kempton, the co-captain of the train pulled the brake; however, they thought it was too late for Prasaad.
The road to recovery has been grueling and long, however, his mother, Irene said, it’s “a miracle he is standing on his feet and walking.”
After being hit in the head by the passing train, Prasaad was rushed to the emergency room. When Prasaad hit his head he shattered a light on the side of the train. His mother credits his life to wearing a helmet.
Irene said, “His injuries were very bad. He was badly injured right through from his head to his feet.”
This week, however, Prasaad was part of the Rail Safety Week in Wellington. Here, he was given the opportunity to meet one of the men who was driving the train that day.
Irene describes the meeting as “very emotional”. She went on to say, “It was emotional to meet him and hear him talk about what happened on that day and how he felt.”
Kauika, the driver of the train that fateful day, said it was closure for him because he did not know what was going to become of Ishaan.
He went on to say, “I didn’t go to hospital … and I had just seen him on the side of the road and it did not look very good at all. So I’m very happy for his family and for himself that he is actually here.”
The community rallied around Irene and her son and raised close to $30,000 in support of them. Irene stated she is so grateful to the community for their help.
Thankfully this story has a happy ending and a reminder to be aware of our surroundings and wearing a helmet when on a bike is life-saving.
