UAE top court overturns Dh3m award in crash that killed three brothers
Ruling sent back for review after judges fault damage assessment, not company liability
Dubai: The Federal Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling awarding Dh3 million in compensation to a father who lost three sons in a traffic accident, citing insufficient explanation of how damages were calculated, while upholding the employer company’s liability.
The case stems from a crash involving a company-owned truck driven by an employee who was later convicted in a final criminal judgment of driving under the influence of alcohol, resulting in the deaths of the three sons and injuries to other family members.
The court of first instance had ordered the company and driver, jointly, to pay Dh3 million in compensation plus Dh600,000 in blood money, with interest. The appeals court upheld that ruling, Emarat Al Youm reported.
The company challenged the ruling before the Federal Supreme Court, arguing it should not be liable because the accident occurred outside working hours and during a weekly holiday.
The top court rejected that argument, saying the company remained responsible as employer and vehicle custodian. However, it accepted the challenge to the compensation award, saying the judgment failed to detail the elements of material damage or the basis for valuation, and ordered the case referred back for reconsideration.
