BICYCLE OVER SPEEDING LEAVES AN 11 YEAR OLD LAME

An 11-year-old boy, John, who lives with his parents Mr. and Mrs. Charles in Bukinda who attended Bukinda primary school. Both his parents are peasant farmers. John was always happy when it came time for riding a bicycle. John and his friends used to ride bicycles in a group as they commuted between home and school every day. One evening, John and his friends were from school riding their bicycles and as usual, always excited. As they almost reached one of his friend’s homes, they decided to ride faster. In the process John lost control of his bicycle and couldn’t break. At a sharp corner, John fell down and hit his knee on the ground with a lot of force.

John was on the ground crying for help but his friends could not do much other than just looking at him until one strange man came and took John to the nearest health Centre; Rwenyawawa health Centre as the rest of his friends proceeded home.

The following morning, John’s friends decide to reach the health Centre where John was admitted before going to school. The health Centre was stinky, and they heard birds singing up in the trees.

Commuting to school on a bicycle in Uganda is very common

As they reached the children’s ward they saw a lot of people with different medical problems. One of the patients asked John's friends why they had come to the hospital holding books on their hands; they all answered that they just came to visit their friend John and later proceed to school. They asked the doctor whether John would walk again on his two legs but the doctor said that John’s knee is badly damaged so it will be very difficult for him to walk on two legs.

Upon hearing and seeing John lying on the bed in the ward, his friends said never to ride a bicycle in a group and overspeeding again seeing how it caused John a lot of suffering and pain.

When John was finally discharged from the Health Centre, he could not walk with two legs again. He had become lame and used a stick to support him. The price of reckless bicycle riding!