Star Scene

By Rakan Diab

Angelino Abdel Karim, a 17-year-old youngster from Balouneh, Lebanon and the author of yet another chapter in the book of tragic road accidents in Lebanon.

Lino, as his friends love to call him, went into a coma due to a violent collision with a truck. After nearly a week or so from the incident, Angelino is showing signs of improvement and is on the right track to a full recovery defying all the odds and conquering the might of death. Although of his critical state, he is showing signs of recovery and improvement.

Lino owes his new start to the prayers of over a thousand friends and family members that joined together on a Facebook group sharing their love and prayers and asking for his early and complete recovery. But sadly not all stories have a happy ending like Lino’s.

Thousands of stories just like this one happen quiet often around the year on Lebanese streets. The reasons behind the constant car accidents are plenty ranging from people driving under the influence, reckless speeding, unlit streets and highways to the inattentive driving behavior of truck drivers. The result, however, is one and death wins almost every round.

We owe it to the tears shed, to the souls of those who lay dead and to the mother’s heart and the memory of her son’s depart to find a solution to our daily fear and tragedies of the road. Those who have passed will never have justice but maybe the death of someone would help enlighten the minds of our drivers to prevent further mistakes. Take “ Kun Hadi “as an example , this  organization emerged from the womb of disaster , from the death of a young soul and today they are working around the hour to provide campaigns that will raise awareness and just maybe save a someone’s life.

My call upon our government is to implement the current legislation enforce higher fines, more jail time for those who defy the law, light up the roads especially the highways. What a simple demand this is in a time of advanced technology. We should all take responsibility in the future of our country by learning lessons from others and obeying simple rules that might save your life and others.