(Image: Family submission)
A mother anxiously awaits news about the extent of her 10-year-old son’s brain injury after he was hit by a bus near Folkestone. Harrison Sahlah was struck by the vehicle on Saturday, June 29, around 6:20 PM. The young boy was flown by air ambulance to King’s College Hospital in London for treatment. Kent Police officers and the South East Coast Ambulance Service responded to the crash.
Harrison’s mother, Kelly Sahlah, told KentLive that her son was hit on the right side of his head and face. Currently, Harrison is in a stable condition, kept in a medically induced coma to protect his brain. Kelly shared with KentLive, “He is in a stable condition and is still in a medically induced coma to protect his brain. He has a significant brain injury, but we won’t know the extent of the damage until he wakes.”
Police are still investigating the incident. Kelly explained that Harrison had no other injuries besides those to his head and face. Following the accident, Harrison lost two front teeth and a root, which Kelly mentioned in a Facebook post addressed to the people of Folkestone. She continues to update friends and family on her personal page, with her latest post on Tuesday, July 2, stating, “Nice stable night for H. Nearly 60 hours since the incident… Let’s hope for continued stability and good news today.”
Kelly recounted that the crash occurred on the dropped curb right outside their house. “He was crossing the road with his friend to retrace his steps as he had dropped a five-pound note earlier that afternoon,” she said. In response to the incident, a GoFundMe page was set up by Adell Reeves, a close friend of Harrison’s parents, Kelly and Khaled. In just two days, the page has raised more than £3,000 out of a £5,000 target.
The page states, “As a community and friends, I would love to see us come together to support them as a family. Everyone who knows them already knows they have been through quite a lot already. From the bottom of my heart, let’s give them some time to heal and support them. I asked to do this for them on their behalf so it’s one less stress for them to worry about.”
The bus company involved, Stagecoach, also responded to the incident. A spokesperson said, “We can confirm that a route 102 bus traveling towards Folkestone was involved in the incident on Sandgate Esplanade at around 6:15 PM on Saturday. All our thoughts and well wishes are for the boy and his family.
This is a horrifying incident for everyone involved and we are providing full support to the police investigation into what happened.” This tragic event occurred in the same area where seven-year-old Will Brown was killed in December after being hit by two vehicles on the A259 Sandgate Esplanade.
