Dubai: Man killed after vehicle swerves off road, court rules

Dubai: What initially appeared to be an ordinary moment on the road quickly turned fatal when a vehicle lost control and struck a man standing outside the roadway. The incident later resulted in the victim’s death.

Dubai’s Traffic Court examined the case and reviewed the circumstances established by the evidence, concluding that the defendant lost control of his vehicle while driving, causing it to swerve and run over the victim. Official medical reports confirmed that the collision caused severe injuries that ultimately proved fatal.

During questioning, the defendant admitted to the incident, according to Emarat Al Youm, claiming he had attempted to avoid two children who appeared in front of his vehicle. The court ruled that this explanation amounted to a defensive claim that neither negated the driver’s fault nor severed the causal link between his actions and the fatal outcome.

In reaching its verdict, the court relied on the defendant’s confession, testimony from the accident reconstruction officer, and official inspection and forensic reports. Investigators confirmed that the victim was standing outside the roadway at the time of the collision and that the vehicle’s deviation from its lane was the direct cause of the incident. Laboratory analysis further established that the driver was not in a normal physical condition at the time.

The court held that the elements of manslaughter by negligence were fully satisfied, citing the proven error, the resulting harm, and the direct causal relationship between them.

At first instance, the Traffic Court sentenced the defendant to four months in prison, suspended his driving licence for six months, fined him Dh10,000, and ordered him to pay Dh200,000 in blood money to the victim’s heirs. On appeal, the prison term was reduced to two months, while all other penalties were upheld.

In its ruling, the court stressed that the loss of control while driving was the decisive factor leading to the fatal collision.