Leeds parents in bedside vigil for children in horror crash

Alin Mosa died from multiple injuries and his six-year-old brother Ara and 19-month-old baby sister Arda were seriously injured when the family’s car collided with a lorry near Folkestone in Kent on Friday August 29.

It happened shortly after they arrived back in the UK after a month-long holiday in Europe and Kurdistan.

The children’s parents Abdulwaid Mosa, 42, and mother Huzan, 30, of Headingley, are staying in a relatives’ room at Leeds Children’s Hospital where they spend every waking hour with Ara and Arda.

Ara, who suffered spinal cord injuries, is in a stable condition in the intensive care unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

Arda, who suffered a brain injury and nerve damage to her right arm, has undergone two operations.

Mrs Mosa, whose right leg was broken in the accident, has also undergone two operations and still has to use a wheelchair.

Mr Mosa said: “My wife is crying all the time, she is living in grief, as I am. We are both spending all our time with our kids. We haven’t been anywhere else yet.

Mr Mosa said Ara cannot move his legs and can move his arms but not his fingers, adding: “We are very worried about him. He is whispering, there is no voice there. I think he has understood the situation and he is feeling sad. He is a very sensitive and intelligent boy.”

Ara is a pupil at Kirkstall St Stephen’s C of E Primary School in Leeds, the same school his brother Alin attended.

Headteacher Steven Viles has visited Ara in hospital a number of times along with teachers, support staff, children and parents.

Mr Viles said: “We made some videos of his classmates and they had some get well cards for him. When he saw the videos, tears were running down his cheeks. He was that pleased that his friends had sent a video message to him. He is such a lovely young boy. He is so like his brother, they were like two peas in a pod. The thing that struck me when I first saw him was that, despite all the tubes and medication he is on, he still had a huge smile on his face.”

Mr Mosa said: “I would like to say thanks to the doctors and nurses, ambulance staff and police. Thanks to all the people who are praying for us, who have visited us and who are supporting us because we are all improving now.”

Paying tribute to Alin, Mr Viles said: “Alin was such a wonderful and vibrant child, he loved coming to school.

“It hit the adults at school quite hard. They were two boys that really did stand out at school because they had such a positive attitude.”

“The children at school have been dealing with it in a positive manner. Alin and Ara are in our thoughts and prayers all the time.”

Mr Mosa said: “They were like twins. They were always playing together and chatting with each other.”

He added: “We have got lots of support. People come in and talk to us. They try to make us stronger for our children.

“It is really tough to cope. It’s not easy. I’m just focussing on the children day after day. What you have completed one day, you say thanks to God, today we are alive.”

The accident happened at around 9.30am on Friday August 29 on the A20 near Saltwood in the Hythe area of Kent when the family’s grey Kia Soul collided with a black DAF lorry.

Then family had just arrived back in the UK from their month-long holiday and had travelled home via the Eurotunnel.

An inquest into Alin’s death was opened and adjourned at Folkestone Magistrates Court in September.