‘My dreams and freedom’: teen returns to horseback riding after near-fatal crash

SULAYMANIYAH — An 18-year-old from Sulaymaniyah has returned to horseback riding months after a road accident left him bedridden with serious brain injuries, turning what he describes as the hardest experience of his life into a story of recovery and renewed hope.

Saro Hiwa left school at 16 and began working at a workshop in Arbat. Five months ago, an ordinary day took a drastic turn when a vehicle struck him on his way home. He spent two months in the hospital and another three at home unable to move. The accident caused major brain trauma, but Saro refused to give up. After five months of treatment and intensive effort, doctors say he has recovered about 85 percent of his brain function, although he still struggles with walking and speaking.

Three days ago, he stood up from his bed at home and turned back to the passion he had before the accident: horseback riding. Step by step, he made his way to his horse and began training again.

Speaking to 964media as he held his horse’s reins, Saro said the hardest part of the ordeal was being separated from what he loved most. “Every day after work I would go to my horse, and it was where I felt my dreams and freedom,” he said.

Full of hope, Saro shared a message he wants others to remember: “No one should lose hope in difficult times.” He now describes himself as a rider of both hardship and recovery, adding, “I fought with my own strength to stand again on my feet.”

Saro ended with a message for drivers, urging them to slow down and avoid distractions on the road. He said motorists should be careful, avoid using phones while driving, not smoke behind the wheel and never drive when tired. He added, “Do not write a painful story in someone else’s life.”

Authorities in Sulaymaniyah say 142 people died in traffic accidents from January through September, including 115 men and 27 women, with male fatalities nearly four times higher. Brig. Bahman Ahmad said 2,792 people were also injured in the same period, bringing the total number of recorded incidents to 2,934.