Gurgaon: Till Sunday evening, 24-year-old Kartik Dalal’s life revolved around sports and a desire to become an entrepreneur. Known in his circle for his love of athletics, Dalal recently completed his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree and was preparing to start a medicine business.Now, he is confined to a hospital bed with three spinal fractures after a basketball pole collapsed on him while he was playing at his residential society in Sector 84, facing a long and uncertain path to recovery. All because someone was negligent in performing their basic job. The pole toppled on Dalal at Antriksh Heights on Sunday evening during a game.Speaking to TOI, his sister Tamanna said the family was struggling to come to terms with the sudden turn of events. “My brother has always been passionate about sports and was our school’s athletics champion for five consecutive years. He was extremely active and loved running. Now doctors have told us he will be on bed rest for at least three to four months, and even after that, he will need months of rehabilitation,” she said.She said the accident could have been prevented had the society management acted on repeated complaints regarding the condition of the basketball pole. “Everything has come to a standstill. His plans, his career and his daily life have all been affected. We don’t know when he will be able to return to his normal routine. This could have been prevented,” she said.Doctors treating the youth said the injuries are serious and his recovery is expected to be a long one. “The patient has sustained fractures at three levels of the spine. He is conscious and his blood pressure, circulation and heart rate are stable. However, given the nature of the injury, he will require prolonged immobilisation with an orthopaedic brace for at least six months, followed by rehabilitation and physiotherapy,” a doctor at Aarvy Hospital said on Tuesday.“It is too early to comment on his long-term functional recovery or whether he will be able to regain the level of physical fitness he had before the accident. That will depend on how the fractures heal over the coming months,” the doctor added.
