Abu Dhabi: A 54-year-old British woman died on Sunday morning after the car she was driving fell from the sixth floor of a multi-storey parking structure in the capital’s Khalifa Energy Complex.
The victim had reportedly accelerated by mistake instead of hitting the brakes, causing her to fly over the metal fence on the parking ledge and consequently fall to the ground in her BMW X-5.
Colonel Saeed Al Daheri, Director of Al Madinah police station at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, said in a statement that initial investigations revealed that the accident occurred due to a driving error by the victim. However, he said police are further investigating the case.
“It appears that the woman did not break the fence but instead flew over it due to the speed of her vehicle. The police operations room received a call around 8am, after which four police vehicles and an ambulance and a Civil Defence truck were dispatched to the location,” Col Al Daheri said.
Probe on
“The scene was cleared in less than 30 minutes. The victim suffered major injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Investigations are still ongoing to find out the exact cause of the accident,” he added.
According to employees at the complex, the woman worked in an oil and gas company and the vehicle fell within the complex’s premises.
“Police responded immediately and the scene was cleared in about 20 minutes or so. According to what we heard, she was taken to Khalifa Hospital at the Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) where she was pronounced dead,” a Bangladeshi executive who works in the complex told Gulf News.
Upon arriving at the scene, Gulf News found what appeared to be a shard of glass from a broken tail-light.
The area where the vehicle fell was cordoned off by the security in the afternoon. Passers-by who had heard about the incident were also trying to get a look at the exact spot. Meanwhile, residents shared pictures released by the Security Media of the mangled car on social networks.
The Complex’s Control Room refused to provide Gulf News with a statement until the police has completed conducting its investigation into the accident.
The Energy Complex on Khalifa Street in the capital houses about eight oil and gas companies.
-With inputs by Samihah Zaman, Staff Reporter
