Drunk driver must pay insurer Dh1 million after car crash

Dubai: A Dubai civil court has ordered a 23-year-old Asian man to pay Dh1 million (Dh3.67 million) to his car insurance company after he was found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol and causing a severe road accident, which left his European passenger seriously injured, Emarat Al Youm reported.

The ruling followed an earlier criminal conviction against the driver, who lost control of his vehicle while speeding and crashed into a roadside barrier.

The impact left his passenger with major injuries that required substantial compensation, which the insurance company was legally obligated to pay before trying to recover the sum from the motorist.

Investigations and a forensic traffic report confirmed that the driver was intoxicated at the time of the crash, leading the Criminal Court to convict him of driving under the influence, endangering others, and damaging property. He was fined Dh15,000, and the judgment became final.

The injured passenger subsequently filed a claim with the Insurance Dispute Resolution Committee, demanding compensation for his physical and emotional damages. After reviewing his medical condition, the committee ruled in his favor, ordering the insurance firm to pay Dh1.5 million. The amount was later reduced to Dh1 million plus 5 per cent annual interest by the Court of Appeal.

The insurer complied with the judgment, paying the full amount by bank check, but later filed a civil lawsuit against the driver based on the Unified Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy issued by the UAE Insurance Authority.

The policy allows insurers to recover compensation paid to victims if the insured was found to have caused an accident while under the influence of alcohol.

In its reasoning, the civil court affirmed that the driver’s negligence and intoxicated state were the direct causes of the accident. It stressed that insurance coverage applies only when a vehicle is operated responsibly and lawfully, and that driving under the influence constitutes a clear violation of both the law and policy terms.

The court added that the criminal verdict provided conclusive evidence of the driver’s guilt, and the blood-alcohol level indicated a loss of control over the vehicle.

It also noted that policyholders are legally required to take all reasonable precautions to safeguard their vehicles and avoid conduct that endangers lives.

Accordingly, the court ordered the defendant to repay Dh1 million to the insurance company, with 5 per cent annual interest from the date of the claim until full payment, in addition to court fees and Dh1,000 in legal expenses.

The ruling, rendered in absentia after the driver failed to attend proceedings, emphasised that the insurer’s right of recourse against the driver was legally sound and did not affect the rights of the injured passenger, who had already received full compensation.