SPOKANE, Wash. — A 21-year-old Spokane father is fighting for his life after being hit by a car and dragged several blocks by a woman driving under the influence, according to Spokane police.
In early June, Ali Abbas was struck at the intersection of Washington and Maxwell. The young father has been hospitalized for three weeks with severe injuries.
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“The head of trauma looked at me and said, ‘this is the worst case I have ever seen in my life,'” said Ru Abbas, Ali’s older sister.
Abbas broke every bone in one leg, while the other leg required amputation. He suffered broken bones from head to toe and sustained third-degree burns. An infection is now spreading through his body, according to his family.
The severity of Abbas’s injuries required him to be airlifted from Sacred Heart Medical Center to a hospital in Seattle.
Abbas’s brother Mohamed was in the car during the crash and immediately tried to help.
“He took off his clothes and started covering his body because he was bleeding so much,” Ru Abbas said.
The incident has left Abbas’s 4-year-old son asking questions his family struggles to answer.
“I don’t know what to tell his four-year-old son … he keeps asking about his dad,” Ru Abbas said.
SPD reports after hitting Abbas, the 19-year-old impaired driver ran a stop sign at Monroe and crashed into another car, critically injuring that driver as well. While that woman has been released from the hospital, she continues to suffer from critical injuries.
Data from the Traffic Safety Commission shows impaired drivers caused eight fatalities in Spokane in 2023,and jumped to 12 in 2024.
In response to the increase, Spokane police have enrolled two full-time DUI enforcement officers to crack down on impaired driving.
For the Abbas family, the fact that Ali is alive is a miracle, but each day brings uncertainty as he fights for his life.
“I’m scared. I’m scared. He’s my baby brother,” Ru Abbas said.
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