year-old Pakistani girl Elaf who survived a fall from a 14th floor balcony here Friday, said the few terrifying seconds it took for her to plunge to the ground felt like a lifetime. “Windows flew by me and I started screaming. I thought I was going to die,” she said, speaking to Saudi Gazette from her bed in Baksh Hospital, Sunday. “I remembered my mum in hospital and my dad saying goodbye as he left the flat.” “I even had time to wonder what would happen to me when I hit the ground.” “Those few seconds seemed to last longer than my entire life.” Elaf landed on the top of a parked hatchback, hitting the car almost on the sloping rear windshield, which served to soften the impact. “Suddenly I hit something metal. I screamed out and started crying,” she said. “Then I quickly got up and ran to the entrance of the building. “I was hurting everywhere and bleeding. “People started to crowd around me and then I saw my dad come through and hold me.” Doctors described Elaf's survival as “miraculous.” Elaf was alone in their 14th floor apartment in the Iskan building complex when the accident happened moments after her father, Abdulaziz, stepped out with her brother who had a flight to catch. Her mother was in hospital for a surgery at the time. “My father had told me to stay away from the windows and balcony, as I would always look at the streets below.” “But just after they left, I went to the window to watch them leave in the car.” “I was watching for them when I suddenly felt everything turn upside down,” the little girl said. “Then it was as if I was flying.” Down below, Abdullah Al-Amri, a Saudi man, was waiting for a taxi when he heard Elaf screaming as she plunged to what could have been certain death. “I did not know where the screams were from until I looked up and saw her landing on the roof of a car,” “It was surreal! What amazed me was that she jumped off the roof of the car and walked away leaving behind only a few blood stains.” Not first time It was not the first time Elaf has had a fright in her building, having previously got stuck in the elevator. “She's been afraid of lifts ever since,” her father said. “She's also scared stiff of needles!” one of her doctors added. Elaf is expected to leave hospital within two days following the completion Sunday of some stitching to her torso and confirmation from her doctors that she has no internal bleeding or fractures. Commenting on the incident, a Civil Defense official said parents should not leave their children at home alone. “Elaf's incident was the second in 24 hours which would have been prevented if the parents had been there to supervise,” he said. “The first incident resulted in the death of a four-month
