He Lost Both Legs in a Crash — Then Spent Years Fighting for the Right to Work

Hamza Ali never wanted sympathy. He wanted a job.

Five years ago, the 28-year-old Pakistani delivery rider lost both legs when the bus he was traveling in collided with a truck. The accident changed his life overnight, but Ali was determined not to let it take away his independence.

The months that followed were difficult. When he was ready to return to work, however, he faced another painful reality: rejection.

For nearly three years, Ali searched for employment in his hometown of Multan. He said company after company turned him away because of his disability.

Then, in 2023, a friend suggested that he move to Islamabad, where wider roads might make it easier for him to operate an adapted motorcycle.

Ali decided to take the chance.

Using his own savings, he modified a motorcycle with hand-operated controls, creating a way for himself to get back on the road. He then contacted foodpanda and asked the company to reactivate his rider account.

The question from the company was simple: Could he do the job?

Ali’s answer was yes.

Today, he rides through the streets of Islamabad delivering meals and earning his own living. According to colleagues who spoke with the Associated Press, Ali has even become one of the platform’s top-performing riders.

But for Ali, the achievement is about more than deliveries or rankings.

He has repeatedly made it clear that he does not want to be viewed as helpless because he has a disability. Instead, he wants people to focus on what he is capable of doing.

Much of that determination, he says, comes from the encouragement of his mother, who helped him keep moving forward when rejection could have easily broken his spirit.

Ali’s story is not simply about a company giving someone an opportunity.

It is about a man who was told “no” for years — and refused to let those answers determine what his life could become.

He adapted his motorcycle. He rebuilt his independence. And then he got back to work.

Source: AP News