One Step Beyond – Bosnia – People – Fehim Merdar

We had been digging and weeding the garden for two days, wanting to be finished in three. By the third day, we were almost finished with the work, so we sat down to rest a bit. I stood up first – my wife remained seated. Just when I took my first step, a mine exploded under my feet. The explosion threw me backwards. Lying on the ground, I looked towards my legs and saw that my left leg had been almost completely severed by the explosion, only a little bit of skin still hung there. I could see the bones of my right leg through the muscles, which had probably been ripped open by the hoe I had been holding in my hands.

I was conscious the entire time. The first thought that occurred to me was whether my wife was alive. I turned toward her and saw her lying motionless on the ground. I thought she was dead. I called out to her twice, but she didn't answer. She suddenly stood up and started to run. She ran about twenty meters, then fell to the ground again. Later, she told me that she couldn't remember anything.

I would like to point out once again that I was conscious the entire time. I couldn't see anything with my left eye, probably because the explosion had blown dirt into it. I don't know what kind of device caused the accident. Later, when national and international experts inspected the location and the remnants of the explosive that caused the accident, no one was able to determine what kind of mine had been involved.

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