Reckless driver jailed and fined for causing the death of one and injuring 10

Dubai: A Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) bus driver has been jailed and fined for recklessly jumping a red light and killing one person and injuring ten others in a collision.

The Dubai Traffic Court of First Instance sentenced the 40-year-old Indian driver, M.V., to three months in jail and fined him Dh10,000 for driving recklessly and jumping a red signal and causing a four-vehicle collision in Deira last November.

Presiding Judge Jasem Mohammad Ebrahim also ordered M.V. to pay Dh200,000 in blood money to the blood parents of the Pakistani victim, A.A.

Impounded

The accused has been banned from driving for six months after the Court revoked his drivers' license for six months.

The Traffic Public Prosecution charged M.V. with driving inattentively, jumping a red light and killing one person and injuring ten others after colliding with four cars.

The accident happened on Salahuddin Road at 10am on November 13, 2007, and it resulted in massive traffic jams in Deira.

Preliminary interrogations revealed that the RTA bus hit two vehicles when it swerved to the left side of the road then hit a bus which was dropping passengers off after it veered off to the right before it landed on a four-wheel drive killing the Pakistani passenger.

Head of Dubai's Traffic Public Prosecution, Salah Bu Farousha said they will review the verdict sheet before eventually appealing the Appeal's Court to implement the toughest punishments applicable.

Ten people sustained various body injuries and fractures. The bus caught fire due to the impact of the accident.

According to the verdict sheet, the accused said he waited at the traffic signal which was red when his vehicle suddenly jumped forward and he failed to control it. Then he manoeuvred it to the left side before the fatal collision happened.

Meanwhile, three of the bus passengers who were hit in the accident testified that the accused jumped the signal when it was red. M.V. denied his charges and claimed that when he pressed the brakes they didn't function properly.

Dubai police's technical workshop report said the brakes were safe and usable and the wheels were new.

Bu Farousha said they used pictures from cameras installed on the interchange to determine the actual causes of the accident.