In a ray of hope, he now can get up on his feet thanks to an artificial leg after treatment at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed or CRP in Savar.
Since the incident, the 26-year old had been walking on crutches. Russell needs the crutches no more. Within four weeks, he will get used to the prosthetic leg, according to the CRP doctors.
“The artificial leg was connected to him free of cost on Thursday morning," said Mohammad Shafiq, head of the CRP's prosthetic and orthotics department.
Looking for a better life, Russell, a driver, came to Dhaka with his family from Palashbari Upazila in Gaibandha. He rented a car from an organisation in the capital’s Adabar area to earned a living by driving it.
“I'm very happy to get the artificial leg. This reminded me of the life I had before the incident. From today, I can walk like I used to before,” said Russell.
"I want to go back to my work place if I am given the opportunity.”
Russell will have to wait for four more weeks to get back to the normal rhythm of walking on the artificial leg as he will have to practice a lot to adjust his movement with the leg.
The court has ordered the Green Line authorities to pay Russell Tk 5 million in compensation. On Apr 10, the authorities paid him Tk 500,000. The court ordered that the Green Line management pay up the rest of the money within a month.