Ratheesh K S was barely 14 when a truck hit him from behind in Kochi
He was active in arts, sports and NCC, and had taken an SI test too at 26. Keralam reported 49,889 accidents last year, which left 39,904 grievously injured. If these continue, the state will see more than 50,000 accidents and 40,000 grievous injuries this year for the first time. Ratheesh K S was barely 14 when a truck hit him from behind in Kochi on May 23, 1998. Even now, he can barely smell and has only about 65-70% sense of taste. He began driving a hand-controlled modified car at 20 and now owns one. He has been a national wheelchair basketball player since 2013 and plays wheelchair rugby. The 42-year-old from Maradu, Kochi, cooks and manages his daily activities on his own. People turned the vehicle upright after 45 minutes and Jayapal remained conscious throughout.
Deaths due to accidents declined — by 13.5% between 2022 and 2025 — but accidents increased and so did grievous injuries (by 15.2%).
“Physiotherapy helped; still, it took three years for my hands to regain some control and six years to feel sensation below neck,” he said. When they are injured, the family loses its income and financial stability,” he said. It helped approach life more positively,” he said. “At that age, I didn’t even know what a spinal cord injury was,” he said. He told those around him that he could not move anything below his neck and asked them not to pull or drag him. Many accident victims suffer further injuries when they are pulled or dragged,” he said.
Kochi : Ganesh Kailas wanted to become a sub-inspector like his father. Fate had other plans as a jeep hit his motorcycle head-on on a one-way road at Poonkunnam, Thrissur. It caused a cervical spinal cord injury, paralysing Kailas from the neck down. It is not an isolated case. Kailas was bedridden for eight years and developed bedsores. Kailas, who married eight years ago, thanked his family. “Many survivors of spinal cord injuries are the primary earning members of their families. His father’s income and his accident claim helped him survive. “I accepted the reality. For some others, accidents changed their lives’ course very early. He suffered severe head and spinal cord injuries, which paralysed him from the waist down. Eventually, he learned to move around in a wheelchair. Prajith Jayapal’s story is one of resilience. A disability rights activist, he remembers being trapped inside his car which overturned thrice. He only knew that his forehead was bleeding. “Those who rescued me handled the situation carefully. There was at least one sensible person in that group.