RAK teen’s fractured spine following hoverboard accident ‘is lesson to all’

The 16-year-old learnt in minutes how to ride the self-balancing scooter but did not learn how to balance his body to stop. He ended up with a fractured spine, and his family is calling for parents to be more aware of the risks the boards pose.

Ibrahim Zarif Hadad, 16, may need back surgery after falling off a hoverboard at RAK corniche. Reem Mohammed / The National

RAS AL KHAIMAH // Curiosity led Ibrahim Zarif Hadad to try a hoverboard, even though he knew it was dangerous.

While the 16-year-old learnt in minutes how to ride the self-balancing scooter, he did not learn how to stop it.

That flaw in his plan meant he ended up with a fractured spine.

As a result, his family is calling for parents to be more aware of the risks the boards pose.

Ibrahim, a Palestinian Grade 11 pupil, was with his brother Abdulhadi, 23, on Al Qawasim Corniche in RAK when they decided to rent out the boards.

“We were riding on the corniche pathway,” said Ibrahim of the incident, three months ago.

“I hit him and we fell down. I fell on my back from the pavement on the street.”

The teenager was in severe pain but did not realise the severity of the damage he had done. He thought painkillers would solve the issue. “After a month, I couldn’t handle it, so I went to hospital,” he said.

By this point Ibrahim was unable to walk because of the pain. At hospital doctors found he had fractures in his spine, said his mother, Najah Hadad.

“In the beginning, I didn’t realise his pain was due to the incident because he has a deficiency of plasma in blood, so I thought it was because of that,” she said.

Ibrahim may need an operation on his back if the fractures do not heal by next month.

“I advise parents not to buy their children this scooter,” Ms Hadad said. “Maybe one day a child could fall off the board on his head and enter a coma or become disabled.”

In October last year Dubai's Department of Economic Development banned the hoverboards from all malls in the emirate, partly as a result of accidents. In January, a Filipino man became the first person in the UAE to die from using the board – he fell off a board outside Mushrif Park.

Bader Obaid Al Ali, the Emirati owner of a rental shop on Al Qawasim Corniche, said that he was fully licensed by the economic department in RAK to rent hoverboards and bicycles.

Anyone who rents from him must sign a contract and follow instructions such as wear a helmet, leg and elbow pads.

“We rent the safety suit with any bike and scooter and, if he refuses taking them, it is his responsibility for any injury that happens to him,” Mr Al Ali said.

The shop is insured but riders are only compensated for injury if it is caused by a malfunction. “We train all customers who want to ride the board, even if they say they know how to use it,” Mr Al Ali said. “I let them ride it in front of me to check if they know.”

He said accidents occurred when people did not know how to use the boards, used them in the wrong places or did not wear safety equipment.

Thomas Edelmann, founder of Road Safety UAE would like to see the hoverboards banned.

“My point of view as a road safety expert is that there should be a complete ban on these boards as they are not a useful means of transport and they can catch fire due to the batteries,” he said.

Col Marwan Abdullah Jakah, director of media and public relations at RAK Police, pointed out that the hoverboards should not be used on roads. “Any unlicensed vehicle that is used on the road is considered a violation,” he said.