A 30-year-old expat “knuckledusted” in the head by a stranger has opened his eyes after 16 days in a coma.
Salvatore Sinagra was knocked to the ground when he went outside to smoke at a karaoke bar on 26 January.
His attacker – a stranger – had followed him after a suspected disagreement over a game of table football.
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Sinagra was airlifted from the scene in Lanzarote, Spain, to a hospital in Gran Canaria with a brain bleed.
He was placed in an induced coma and underwent emergency surgery for a skull fracture.
On Tuesday (11 Feb), he woke from the coma.
His family said on social media: “Finally, a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
“He alternates between moments of clarity and sleep, and responds well to stimuli.”
Sinagra does not remember anything about the attack or the time he spent in a coma.
After opening his eyes, he asked his father, who had travelled to be with him: “What are you doing here?”
His family told him he had been in a traffic accident to avoid distressing him, local media report.
Sinagra is from Favignana Island off the coast of Sicily, Italy, but lives in Lanzarote.
He had opened a bar on the island and had recently sold it so he could move back home.
The alleged perpetrator was arrested on suspicion of GBH on 1 February.
It’s alleged that he struck Sinagra with a knuckleduster.
The 25-year-old local confessed to the attack and is now in custody, as reported by Need To Know.
He reportedly has a long criminal record.
Medics will now assess if Sinagra has sustained any long-term effects from the brain bleed or the coma.
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