Double tragedy: Young UAE resident dies in Dubai accident, 11 years after only brother’s fatal crash

Sharjah: An Egyptian expat couple in Sharjah has been struck by tragedy again after their 29-year-old son died in a car crash,11 years after his only brother was killed in another road accident.

Amr Hesham, who worked with a Dubai-based charity foundation, died in a car crash in Dubai on Saturday morning. He was reportedly alone in his car.

A family member confirmed the news to Gulf News, and said Amr’s parents, Dr Hesham Abdel Halim and Yasmeen Hesham, are both hospitalised after falling ill from grief following their son’s death.

"His father is in the ICU while mother is also being treated in the hospital," the relative said.

Dr Hesham is the Head of Student Activities and Supervisor of the Scouts Tribes at the University of Sharjah, from where Amr had graduated in 2018.

Meanwhile, Amr’s best friend, Soni Idrees, said friends and their families are also heartbroken.

She said the accident took place when Amr was returning from his friend’s place where he had stayed over after attending a concert in Dubai on Friday night.

“He hit his car into a pole around 7am on Saturday at Arjan roundabout,” Soni said through tears.

The pole reportedly went through his lower body, she said. “He was rushed to the nearby hospital, but he passed away soon after.”

This tragedy echoed the family’s earlier loss. In 2014, Amr’s younger brother and only sibling, Kareem Hesham, died in a car crash at the age of 14.

“We were in the same hospital situation 10 or 11 years ago. It’s unbearable that we are all reliving the same pain again,” said Soni who has been Amr’s friend since school days.

Amr, who was born and raised in the UAE, was laid to rest next to his brother in Sharjah on Sunday.

Soni said she was still in shock and disbelief. She recalled meeting Amr the last on Thursday night. “We had just gone out on with my brother and another friend. We had dinner together.”

She also recalled receiving the last message from Amr on Instagram around 6.25am, just half an hour before the accident. “He texted me about Stranger Things, something we both loved. He reminded me to get the tickets for the show’s experience coming up in Abu Dhabi.”

However, she said everyone came to know about his passing only hours later.

She described Amr as “the kindest soul, most sweet, down-to-earth, incredible human being — charitable, charming, and caring.”

"He was also fashionable and known for his great style. He was the mum of the group. He was very helpful and took care of everybody. We celebrated our birthdays together as mine is just a day apart. We both loved shopping so we would go shopping every weekend. We had so much left to do together. We even had plans to travel to Ibiza soon," said Soni.

“He was a family member for us. He used to visit my home often. My mother has not stopped crying,” she added.

At the time of his death, Amr worked as project manager of Initiatives and Programmes at a Dubai-based charity foundation, overseeing several charity projects.

He had earlier served as a social media and events manager with various organisations and briefly worked as a television host.