Girl thrown off horse in Matheran back from the brink, family recounts ordeal

Rasheeda Radiowala is now home safe with her parents and uncle (right). Pics/Datta Kumbhar

The eight-year-old girl who was dragged by a horse in Matheran is now back at home in Mumbai and recovering. It will take months for the fractures in her head to heal, but the unfortunate incident has now cured her of any wish to ride horses at Matheran - at least until the hill station introduces sorely lacking safety measures.

Hasan Radiowala shows the stitches on Rasheeda's head

The accident left Rasheeda Radiowala, 8, with two skull fractures, cuts to the side of the head, and clots between her brain and skull. She received nine stitches to one side of her head, and six on the other. She was discharged from Saifee hospital on Tuesday night and resting at home. mid-day paid a visit to the Radiowala residence on Thursday and found Rasheeda in fine fettle, but still shaken from the mishap. In an exclusive chat with this paper, her family recounted the horrific ordeal.

Horse-riding is one of the main attractions at Matheran, but the handlers are allegedly untrained. File pic

Chaotic start
This wasn't their first rodeo at Matheran; just two hours from Mumbai, the hill station is among their favourite getaways. This time, though, nothing went according to plan. On April 21, the family of 15 left their hotel at 10.15 am. "We were really looking forward to our rides. One by one, we sat on our horses. My son was accompanied by my wife on one horse, while my daughter and I were supposed to ride another," recalled Rasheeda's father, Hasan Radiowala, 36.

"We had asked for 15 horses, but ended up only taking 14 that morning. The handler kept nagging us to take the last horse too. So, my daughter shifted to the other horse, numbered 183, while I remained on the same horse," he added. Hasan explained that the horses should ideally move in pairs. But that day, the handlers were in a rush, and the pair got broken. To add to the chaos, Rahim, the handler in charge of Rasheeda's horse, as well as her aunt's and father's, pushed his responsibility onto another handler - Mustafa - who already had his own horses to mind.

It was not ideal, but Rasheeda was still having fun. "My daughter was very excited that morning. She was happy and was waving at me," Hasan recalled. After a while though, Rasheeda's horses started lagging behind in the formation. "Rasheeda's horse was walking, but not fast enough. To make him match the other horses' speed, Mustafa hit him with a cane. Upon being struck, the horse jumped, Rasheeda lost her balance and tumbled down. One of her legs got trapped in the saddle, and the horse dragged her around 60 feet," said Hasan, adding that Mustafa made not a single attempt to offer any help to his daughter.

Untrained, unprepared
After the horse came to a halt, Hasan and his brother rushed to Rasheeda's rescue. "None of the handlers were trained for emergencies. They kept watching even while our daughter was bleeding. The locals pointed us to the hospital, which was about 1.5 kilometers from Alexander Point," said Hasan. "We had to carry her all the way to the hospital; we received help from a handcart 10 metres before the hospital. For additional treatment, we had to transport her to another hospital, but couldn't, as the brakes of the only ambulance there had failed." added Rasheeda's uncle, Hatim Radiowala, 39.

mid-day has in the past reported on the lack of medical facilities at Matheran, which is notorious for riding mishaps. This time, too, it was a similar story. "The doctors were really helpful and quick, but the hospital was ill-equipped. The doctors stopped her bleeding immediately, but even their hands were tied in the absence of the required equipment. There was no stretcher, operation theatre or x-ray machine," said the angry father. "The first aid that was given to Rasheeda was fine, but the hospital should have extra measures for major injuries, and should be equipped with facilities to transport patients to specialised centres," said Dr Fazal Nabi, who treated Rasheeda at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Saifee Hospital in Mumbai. Bringing their daughter to Mumbai for treatment was another ordeal for the family. "We had to change three ambulances to bring her to Saifee hospital. The doctor in Matheran helped us find a private ambulance," said Hasan.

Plans for legal action
Although the priority at the moment for the Radiowalas is taking the best care of their daughter, they are planning on legal action. "I am planning on legal action against Mustafa and Rahim for being irresponsible and careless that day," said Hasan, adding, "The trainers need to have some certification or licence. They need to be trained." Will they ever go back to Matheran? Sakina, the survivor's mother, said, "We might, but we won't ride horses till effective measures are taken for the safety of riders."

02
No. of skull fractures the eight-year-old suffered

15
Total no. of stitches she received to the head.

Also Read: 8-Year-Old Suffers Two Skull Fractures After Falling From Horse During Joyride In Matheran

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