One person killed as speeding vehicle forces buses to collide

Abu Dhabi: Two men were killed and 62 were injured in three accidents on Saturday morning.

An accident involving two buses and a car killed one man and injured at least 56 passengers.

The accident occurred around 5.30am on the road leading to Al Faya.

The buses, which were transporting labourers to construction sites, were travelling in the same lane when a driver entered the lane marked for heavy vehicles at high speed without seeing if the road was clear.

Off track

To avoid hitting the car, the bus driver in the front braked in time.

The second bus, however, was not maintaining a safe distance and could not stop in time. It crashed into the bus in front. The impact threw the front bus off the street after hitting the car.

The police were called to the scene and the injured were taken to Al Mafraq and Al Rahba hospital.

"One person is still in critical condition and the others have suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Thirty-eight of those hurt were taken to Al Mafraq hospital and the rest were taken to Al Rahba hospital," said Colonel Hamad Adil Al Shamsi, Director of the Department of Traffic and Patrol Police.

"The accident could have been avoided if the vehicle had maintained adequate distance," he said, adding that the need to adhere to specified speed limits on the roads cannot be stressed enough.

"Drivers of heavy vehicles, especially buses, must be much more careful because they are responsible for the safety of the high number of passengers they carry," said Al Shamsi.

Motorists must be cautious at junctions or while entering main roads because small mistakes can cost lives, he said.

Besides ambulances and rescue vehicles from the Department of Rescue and Public Safety, Air Wing and Civil Defence Department of Abu Dhabi Police, rescue teams from Dubai also rushed to the scene.

Major Mohammad Al Nuaimi, head of the Rescue and Rapid Intervention Department, said mobile clinics are important in reducing damage caused by such accidents.

"The mobile bus clinics have an important role in screening cases for priority. They help in giving priority to patients in critical condition and in providing necessary first aid." He also thanked Dubai Police.

In another accident, a car overturned due to high speed on Saih As Sidirah Street killing one person and injuring four.

Two of the injured are in critical condition. A third accident in Bahia involved the collision of two vehicles, injuring two children.