ABOUT 30 years ago and exactly at 5 p.m. on a Friday, Abdullah Shuhail Al-Mitairi, who was nine years old at the time, was playing in a village south of Hafr Al-Batin when he found some debris from the Saudi Electricity Company, including a piece of dynamite. When he grabbed the piece of dynamite, it exploded and he lost his right hand. He was rushed to the village clinic and then to Hafr Al-Batin General Hospital where his lifelong tragedy began. Al-Mitairi said before he was admitted to the operations room, the police investigator was insisting on questioning him. He, however, agreed to postpone the questioning after many onlookers intervened. Al-Mitairi recalled that when he awoke after the operation, the first person he saw was the investigator who asked many questions about the dynamite. The investigations continued for more than a month and finally the investigator asked the victim to draw the piece of dynamite with his left hand. He said: “Though I was young with one good hand, I was able to draw a good picture of the dynamite. I told the investigator that it belonged to the electricity company but he didn't believe me.” Al-Mitairi said at the end of the investigation, the dynamite was found and handed over to a committee of experts who said it belonged to the company, so the case was referred to court. He added: “A representative of the company attended the court session and asked my father to drop the case, but my father refused.” He said the judge decided to adjourn the case until he reached the age of consent. Al-Mitairi said when he reached the age of maturity he decided to reopen the case. He added: “At first I went to the police district where all details of the case were supposed to be kept. “The police officer told me this was an old case that was difficult to find, especially as the officer who investigated me was transferred to another city. “I called the officer in his new place and he assured me that the case file was in the police archives. “I reached the police district station but only found the minutes of the incidents, not the case file that was returned by the court.” Al-Mitairi had no option but to prepare a new case file from scratch depending on his memories and the testimonies of the eyewitnesses. After years of hard work, the file was completed. It only lacked the material evidence, which was the piece of exploded dynamite itself. The court held three sessions. A representative of the SEC attended all of them. The judge ruled in favor of the company. Al-Mitairi is refusing to drop the case against the company and is wondering how to fulfill his rights. I urge all male and female lawyers (who have recently been licensed to practice law) to take up Al-Mitairi's case and help him obtain compensation for his amputated hand.
