Muscat: A Dutchman, who lived in Oman as a young boy in the 90s, is now looking for the Omani who rescued him after the driver who hit him had fled the scene
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It was January 14, 1998. Sultan Qaboos Street was the only major motorway in Muscat and the only shopping malls around were those in Al-Qurum.
The area beyond Seeb International Airport, was not like the sprawling suburb of today.
On that fateful day, Erik Prins, 11-year-old, was cycling back home from PDO School at Ras al Hamra. His parents just bought him a new bicycle, imported from the Netherlands.
In a car-centred society like Oman, cyclists were a rare sight in traffic, especially in those days.
And as he lived outside the PDO camp, contrary to most PDO expats, the trip was not a straightforward one for the young boy.
Then at around 3.15 pm, Erik got hit by an SUV while crossing Saih al-Maleh street, not far from Mina al-Fahal in Al-Qurum. The person driving the car that just hit Erik fled the scene.
And Erik was left on his own. All Erik could remember, was the moment he woke up in Khoula Hospital five days later.
“I woke up and vaguely saw my parents standing next to my bed. I had no idea what had happened,” Erik told the Times of Oman. “Later my parents told me that I had been in a coma for five days and I still could not speak after gaining consciousness.”
Erik suffered several injuries, including a broken leg and a head injury. He had to stay in the hospital for over a month, missing out on school, including his class’s seaside trip and their visit to remote Fahud.
However, Erik was lucky to have arrived at the hospital in time. While the culprit had left Erik to bleed, an alert Omani witnessing the collision immediately called PDO, after which he was brought to the emergency ward.
“Looking back, I realise that this person saved my life by intervening,” Erik said. “The fact that I was in coma and ended up with a broken leg meant that the impact must have been huge. Had he not been there, things could have been much worse.”
Long recovery process
A long recovery process followed, during which Erik had to undergo numerous operations in Oman and the Netherlands.
“I remember I had to wear a plaster from chest to toe. I couldn’t move or do anything, it was awful,” Erik said.
After his recovery, Erik and his parents met the kind witness, called Saleh. “My parents and I were extremely grateful to him, but I was too young to really talk to him, and thank him personally,” Erik said.
In the summer of 1998, Erik and his parents returned to the Netherlands after a five-year long stay in Oman. Erik visited Oman numerous times in the years after. In fact, his connection to the Sultanate led him to study Arabic, and in 2016 he even returned to Oman to work as a Special Correspondent here at the Times of Oman.
Now, after so many years, Erik wants to find Saleh. While he no longer has any contact
details, he does remember his surname (known at TOO) and that Saleh’s wife worked at Ras al-Hamra Recreational Centre at the time.
“After our stay in Oman, the Sultanate got a special place in my heart, especially since my accident”, Erik said. “This was an eventful part of my life, and now I feel the need to speak to Saleh and share my experiences with him.”
