Dubai: Two students have been acquitted of being responsible for the death of four others in an accident involving three cars that took place on Academic City Road in September 2014.
The accident happened when 18-year-old Emirati employee, R.K., lost control over his sports utility vehicle [SUV} that veered off the road and rammed into two other cars that were parked at the side of the road.
Prosecutors said four students — an American, Lebanese, Jordanian and Palestinian — died and four others were injured in the accident that was caused by reckless and inattentive driving.
The Dubai Traffic Misdemeanours Court cleared the American and Russian students, Y.S. and M.N., after their lawyer, Ali Abdullah Al Shamsi, argued that they were not legally responsible for the accident.
According to the charge sheet, R.K. was charged with driving his car recklessly and under the influence of alcohol and causing the accident that led to the deaths and injuries.
Y.S. and M.N. were also charged with being responsible for the deaths and the injuries and wrecking the cars.
“My clients were among the students who were standing at the side of the road along with the other victims. The Emirati defendant [R.K.] is the one who caused the accident as he drove at a very high speed. He also drove inattentively and lost control over his steering, then suddenly veered off the road and ran into the two other vehicles that were parked at the side of the road. My clients did not park their cars in a dangerous way at the side of the road, but it was the Emirati defendant who got busy with something while driving his SUV,” argued lawyer Al Shamsi.
The presiding judge sentenced R.K. to six months in jail and fined him Dh5,000. He was also ordered to pay Dh800,000 [Dh200,000 per victim] in blood money to the blood parents of the four students who died.
The court further suspended R.K.’s driving licence for one year.
According to the primary ruling, the victims’ civil lawsuit has been referred to the Dubai Civil Court.
Prosecution records said the dead victims were aged between 16 and 19.
R.K. has appealed the primary ruling and is scheduled to show up before the Appeal Court later this month.
Prosecutors are also expected to appeal the acquittal of Y.S. and M.N.
