Mohamed Oral

Despite the serious injuries 31-year-old Mohamed Oral sustained on August 4, 2020, he still tries to actively go on with his life as he used to before the incident. He refuses to give up and fights to remain hopeful and positive.

Before the explosion, Mohamad practiced two hobbies after his long working hours; swimming and football were his favorite pastime. And despite his injuries hindering his hand movement, he still passionately practices his favorite activities.

Before that horrific crime, Mohamed worked two jobs to make a living. In the morning, he worked in a car repair shop, while he worked afternoon shifts in a parking lot in Gemmayze.

Mohamed recalls the details of that fateful evening that destroyed his future. While he was on the job, a friend asked him to drive him to Dawra; immediately, Mohamed hopped on his motorcycle with his friend behind him to drive him to where he was going. As they got closer to the port, Mohamed saw the smoke coming out of one of the warehouses, he pulled off and got off his motorcycle and, out of curiosity, got close to the fire, trying to take video footage of the incident. Suddenly, he felt like a sword cut his head in two; he didn’t lose consciousness, but he was suffocating. Long confusing minutes left him unaware of what was happening around him.

He was evacuated to the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), and after he was attended to in the emergency room, he regained his focus and started feeling the pain from the fractures in his neck and spine, which were caused by an electricity pole falling on him. He was aware that he was only saved by God’s grace.

Mohamed spent a month at the hospital and he underwent seven surgeries that saved him from permanent paralysis. He went back home, but he still did not completely recover. His hand injury requires long-term treatment and an exorbitant cost he cannot afford. It is impossible for him to resume work in his profession as it requires manual strength and skills.

In addition to his neck, back, and hand injuries, Mohamed’s skin was also affected by the huge fire caused by the explosion.

Ever since the August 4 explosion, he underwent multiple surgeries, but for financial reasons, he still didn’t perform the hardware removal surgery.

Mohamed says: “I cannot explain what happened to me, but we are in a country that cannot prosecute the corrupted under the law, on the opposite they are the ones leading the government, while citizens’ rightful rights are lost.”