Al Ain court orders Dh20,000 compensation over rear-end crash

Al Ain: The Al Ain Civil, Commercial and Administrative Court has ordered a woman to pay Dh20,000 in compensation to another driver after causing a rear-end collision due to her failure to follow traffic signals and yield the right of way.

According to Al Khaleej newspaper, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit seeking Dh100,000 in damages, arguing that the defendant struck her vehicle from behind while she was driving lawfully.

She said the impact resulted from the defendant’s failure to adhere to priority rules, as confirmed in the official accident report. The plaintiff opened a police complaint, and the case was referred to prosecutors.

The Al Ain Criminal Court had earlier convicted the defendant, fining her Dh10,000 and suspending her driver’s license for one year for operating a vehicle in violation of traffic regulations, specifically failing to comply with traffic signals, a violation that led directly to the collision and resulting vehicle damage.

In its civil ruling, the court noted that the criminal conviction established the defendant’s fault, making her legally responsible for the damage that followed.

The court found that the plaintiff suffered material losses, including damage to her vehicle, loss of use, and a reduction in its value.

It concluded that these harms, combined with emotional distress, warranted financial compensation.

Taking into account the age and type of the vehicle and the extent of the damage documented in the case file, the court determined that Dh20,000 represented a fair and comprehensive compensation amount.

The defendant was ordered to pay the sum and to cover court fees and costs.