Pakistani student Dania critically hurt in US hit-and-run incident
By News Desk
September 13, 2024 12:29 PM
Pakistani consul general in American city Houston met Pakistani student Dania Zaheer who was critically injured after being hit by a speeding vehicle in the US state of Texas, causing her multiple fractures, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
On the directive of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, consul general in Houston assured Dania Zaheer of every possible support from Pakistan government and the consulate.
The incident occurred in Houston, where Dania Zaheer was critically injured in a traffic accident. Police reported that the speeding car did not stop after the collision, and efforts to locate the driver were ongoing.
Memorial Hermann Hospital confirmed several bones of Dania Zaheer have been broken in the horrific hit-and-run case and she is currently receiving treatment at the facility.
Dania Zaheer, who came from Karachi to pursue an MBA degree and uplift the living standard of her family, expressed grief, stating that the accident has shattered her dreams.
The 25-year-old is a bright student from Karachi and is among the top students at her university.
Prominent Pakistani-American businessman Syed Javed Anwar has taken full responsibility for her medical expenses, and the hospital, consulate, and her family have been informed.
Pakistani Consul General Aftab Chaudhry stated that he visited the student at the hospital and assured full support for her recovery.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has also expressed sorrow over the incident and directed the Pakistan officials to provide full support to Dania Zaheer. He said the government is ready to provide assistance to the student’s parents if they want to visit the US to look after their daughter.
According to ABC report, Dania Zaheer has a broken pelvis, hip, arm, femur, and countless other bones after the Houston Police Department said a driver hit her near the Galleria and then took off.
Speaking to Eyewitness News from the hospital, Dania Zaheer said her injuries might not be the worst of it. The 25-year-old said she moved to Houston from Pakistan on a student visa, hoping to graduate with a master's degree in business administration from North American University. However, she's in Texas alone, with no family or other supporting figures. Now, even once the hospital discharges her, she's left facing uncertainty.
"I had a really bright future, and now, I can't see anything," Dania said with cuts and fractures obscuring her vision. "My university professors - when they met me, (they) even told me, 'You are the kind of person we want to hire’."
Dania Zaheer has been in the city on her own since the start of the semester. She said last Thursday, she was crossing the street at Westheimer and Sage at about 8 pm when her memory went black. According to HPD, a person behind the wheel of a vehicle hit her and drove off. "He didn't even stop to see who he hit or if that person was alive or not," Dania Zaheer said, even though investigators didn't say whether the driver was male.
Police said they have a witness and were searching for video in the area, but investigators didn't have a vehicle or suspect description.
Emergency responders rushed Dania Zaheer to Memorial Hermann, where she's been ever since. Doctors said she suffered at least half a dozen broken bones.
"There is fluid in my lungs, which is making it hard to breathe," Dania Zaheer said, adding she's a shell of the woman she once was. "I don't understand the point of being alive anymore. My life is finished. There is nothing left for me."
Dania Zaheer said her parents don't have the money to travel here, and the whole point of her coming to Houston was to give them a better life. "I am all alone here. There's no one to take care of me, and I don't even know after getting out of the hospital who will be there," she said.
ABC13 shared Zaheer's story with the Pakistani Association of Greater Houston, which wants to help. She and the association's president have connected.
The hope is to set up a fund and connect Dania Zaheer with local resources.
Reporter Anwar Abass