Dubai: Lama Yassine met many of her friends last week as if she knew she wouldn’t see them again — the 31-year-old Lebanese woman died in the early hours of Saturday morning in a car crash.
Described by her friends as someone who loved life, Lama died on Saturday at 4.30am when her car suddenly veered off course and hit the central reservation on Al Khail Road.
Driving home after spending some time at a friend’s place, Lama, a media sales professional, died on the spot after she was thrown out of her car that overturned and landed upside down.
“It is funny enough that she saw almost all her friends at Dubai Media City last week… as if she was telling us goodbye. The last time I saw her was on Wednesday evening at a restaurant… she loved life by all means. Always smiling,” said a close friend, Ghayath Sioufi.
“Lama always accepted life with a bright smile of hopefulness despite the ups and downs. She constantly supported her friends,” said Sioufi.
Having learnt about her death over the phone on Saturday morning, Sioufi said he still doesn’t believe that she is dead.
“Her demise should be a big lesson for all friends to keep close and help each other and never take the people we love for granted,” he said.
Meanwhile Bassel Komaty, Lama’s close friend for the past 20 years, described her as a passionate person.
“We are still in denial… it’s unbelievable. She was a lovely and energetic person, always full of life and supportive to her friends. We never saw her pain because she always hid it behind an unforgettable smile to soothe others,” said Komaty.
He said he saw her for the last time on Tuesday at Dubai Media City.
“We were planning to see each other over the weekend. We were also making arrangements for our Ramadan gatherings for iftar and the usual rituals. I can only say that she will remain family forever,” said Komaty, who is flying to Beirut to attend Lama’s funeral among a host of friends.
Komaty’s fiancé Mariam Yahya became a very close friend and sister to Lama, since she met her in Dubai.
“Her exceptionally sweet character brought us close to each other very quickly. Definitely she is a person who will forever be missed. Lama will always be in our hearts and we constantly pray for her to rest in eternal peace,” said Mariam.
Jihad Eit described Lama as an inspiring character, who was always full of life and energy. He said her death was a great loss.
“I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that someone like her, who was with us a week ago, simply passed away. May she rest in peace… she will never be forgotten,” said Eit.
Senior Chief Prosecutor Salah Bu Farousha, Head of Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution, told Gulf News: “We have given permission to hand over the body to her family. The routine investigation procedures are currently under process. In such unfortunate accidents we take exceptionally swift procedures. We constantly call on drivers to be alert and attentive.”
Hundreds of Lama’s close friends and relatives liked a special memorial and tribute page that was set up on Facebook and other social media networks.
