Left: Sabi Mashid is out of his wheelchair and By Rebecca Fraser
THE sixyearold boy whose right foot was amputated after a car crashed into his school was given a rousing ovation this week.
Sabi Mashid’s schoolmates clapped and cheered as he walked unassisted into assembly on Tuesday.
The grade one student was one of seven students who was badly injured when the car crashed into a playground wall at Dandenong West Primary School in May.
Sabi was crushed when the wall fell on him as he played.
Another student, 11yearold Medina Hubanic, had her right leg broken in several places.
After spending months in hospital, Sabi returned to school in a wheelchair at the start of term three.
He is now up and about with classmates thanks to months of rehabilitation and a new prosthetic foot.
Principal Sue Gooding said the other children were delighted to have him back.
“Immediately after the accident and in the time since, we’ve kept all of the students up to date with the progress of the children who were injured.
“They’ve all known about his treatment so when he walked to assembly for the first time they gave him a rousing reception,” Ms Gooding said.
While he was in the wheelchair, special games were designed to allow Sabi to join in with the other children.
But Ms Gooding said he was already getting back into his favourite sports soccer, football and cricket.
“It’s important for him to be independent again. While he was in the wheelchair he was relying on the adults but he’s very keen to do his own thing.”
Sabi’s mother, Farida, said her son was a little sore after his first day with the prosthetic foot.
“He was very happy, though. He’s loving being able to walk around again.”
The Dandenong man who crashed his car into the school had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit on the day of the collision, a court heard on Friday.
Taban Gany, 31, pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to four counts of negligently causing serious injury, one count of recklessly causing injury and another count of reckless conduct endangering life.
Mr Gany, a disqualified driver, has since been released on bail under special conditions and must report to the police daily, and not drink alcohol.
He will return to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 30 August to face further charges of speeding, exceeding the legal alcohol limit, and driving while disqualified.
Magistrate Jennifer Grubissa also ordered Mr Gany, who has pleaded guilty to a total of 11 charges, to appear in the Victorian County Court on 8 December to face the remaining charges.
Court documents alleged Mr Gany had a bloodalcohol reading of 0.175 more than two hours after the 19 May collision when his Holden sedan hit a tree, several signposts and a fire hydrant before crashing into a cyclone wire fence and a brick wall at the Jones Street school.
