Injured workers blame speeding and overloading for fatal crash

Dubai: Survivors of a fatal bus crash on Al Khawaneej Road blamed overloading and speeding for the accident, which killed one and injured 20, including three critically.

The 15-seater mini-bus was carrying 21 passengers back to their labour accommodation in Sonapur from their worksite in Jebel Ali on Thursday night when it flipped over twice after hitting a sandbank.

Eleven labourers, including three critical and four serious cases, were rushed to the Rashid Hospital Trauma Centre, while nine with minor injuries were taken to Al Baraha Hospital.

Injured workers being treated at the trauma centre told Gulf News that the bus driver was speeding when he suddenly lost control of the bus.

"The driver was speeding. One minute we were all in the bus busy chatting and planning out dinner menu and the next minute we found ourselves buried in sand," said T. Venu, a 46-year old Indian foreman who fractured his right hand and leg.

"The bus just rolled over on the sandy patch of land twice. The bus door was thrown open and some of the workers were thrown out," he added.

He said he had to break the window glass to get out to safety. Irshad Khan, an Indian time keeper who has worked with the contracting company for more than 12 years, told Gulf News that it seemed that the driver lost control of the bus minutes before the vehicle overturned.

"He (might) have dozed off and lost control of the bus for a couple of minutes, but that was enough for the accident to take place," he said.

He said he was thrown out of the bus in the accident. He had his face buried in the sand and could not move, until a fellow worker pulled him out of the sand.

He said the owner and representatives of their company had visited them at the centre.

Dr. G. Y. Naroo, specialist senior registrar in charge of emergency department at the centre, told Gulf News that on top of the Khawaneej bus crash, the trauma centre received patients from accidents in Garhoud, Bustan, Nad Al Sheba and Al Quoz. The trauma centre received 23 cases within the space of one hour.

Re-education

"This tends to happen every Thursday evening because it's the weekend and everybody wants to get home," he said.

However, he said the other accidents were not as serious as the bus crash, leading him to call for mandatory driving re-education for bus drivers.

"Bus drivers should be re-educated because if they are in an accident, there tend to be mass casualties," he added.