Heartbreak for Kerala nurse at hospital casualty as she finds her son brought dead following accident

On Thursday morning, Sulekha, a nurse at Ansar Hospital in Perumpilavu, Thrissur, was settling into her shift when the emergency alarm from the casualty department downstairs went off. It signalled an unidentified critical case that required available staff to assist.

Responding immediately, Sulekha rushed down to the casualty ward. As she reached the door, she saw her colleagues crowded around a stretcher. The patient was a boy who lay motionless, covered in blood. Sulekha didn't have to look twice; her voice trembled as she cried out, “That’s my son.”

The boy was her younger son, 14-year-old Al Fousan, a Class 10 student. He had been brought in after a multi-vehicle pile-up at the Akkikkavu junction around 10.30 am, while returning home from his tuition class on a bicycle. He was declared brought dead.

“We didn’t initially know it was her son,” recalls casualty supervisor Bindu Gopalakrishnan. “As per protocol, we issued a general emergency alert for unidentified critical patients. Sulekha sat there, staring at her son, still in disbelief, asking, ‘He’s okay, right? Nothing’s wrong with him, right?’ We tried everything to save him, but he had already succumbed”

The accident happened when a pick-up van carrying gas cylinders collided with a car, which then struck a scooter before ramming into Fousan and his bicycle. “Eyewitnesses said one of the vehicles may have run over his body during the chain collision,” said Kadavallur panchayat president P I Rajendran. Locals and autorickshaw drivers quickly rushed Fousan to the hospital, just 1.5 km away, but it was too late.

Hospital authorities confirmed he had sustained severe bleeding and a twisted leg, with injuries likely caused by a vehicle wheel running over him. “He also had bleeding from his mouth. We’ll get a clearer picture once the postmortem report arrives,” said Ansar Hospital’s nursing superintendent, Beevi.

Beevi herself was away in a meeting when the boy was brought in. “When I returned and saw Sulekha sitting on the bench, she looked at me and said, 'Sister, it’s my son lying there'."

The grief intensified when Fousan’s father, Mohaboob, a dialysis patient working in the hospital’s psychiatry department as an attendant, learned of the tragedy. Overwhelmed, he collapsed and had to be admitted to the ICU. He was discharged later that evening.

Fousan’s body was taken to his home around 8 pm, after the postmortem. His funeral was held at the Paruvakkunnu Juma Masjid at 9 am the following day.

“He had visible injuries on his face when we saw the body. Some of his teeth were broken,” said Poravoor ward member Usha Sasikumar, who remembered Fousian as a gentle and well-mannered boy who often played with her son.

Fousan studied at TMVHSS Akkikkavu, the same school his elder brother Aflah had attended. “He always had a sweet smile and was respectful,” said school principal Raju David. “He was average in academics but well-behaved. Until Class 9, he was coming from a nearby madrassa. This year, his family shifted him home to focus on Class 10. Just a few days ago, his mother visited to collect his new textbooks.”

The family has endured several hardships over the years. Both Sulekha and Mohaboob have worked at Ansar Hospital for over eight years. During this time, Mohaboob’s kidneys failed, requiring a transplant. He quit the job. Sulekha donated one of her kidneys to him, taking a leave of absence for the surgery. After her recovery, she rejoined work. Mohaboob was later reinstated in the hospital once he was medically stable.

Hospital authorities and the associated trust supported the family extensively, funding their surgeries, providing housing support, and even helping build their new home near the hospital. “They lived in the staff quarters earlier. The management stood by them throughout—arranging finances for treatment and giving them both day shifts so they could care for their children,” said Bindu Gopalakrishnan.

Despite repeated accidents at the Akkikkavu junction, no deaths had been reported before. “It’s a spot where five roads meet. Earlier, there were traffic controls, but not anymore,” noted ward member Usha.