Man punished for running over 2-year-old girl

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

A two-year-old Emirati girl died after being hit by a car in front of a hotel in Bur Dubai on Sunday.

Brigadier Abdullah Khadim, Director of the Bur Dubai Police Station, stated that the Arab driver responsible for her death was referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution, and the girl’s body was transferred to Fujairah for burial.

Dubai Police revealed details of the incident, which took place after the girl left her parents and ran from the entrance of the hotel to the street. The driver did not see the small girl, and when he finally did, he could not stop and avoid running her over.

The girl was immediately rushed to the hospital, but died due to her severe injuries.

Dubai Police expressed their condolences to the girl’s family, and confirmed that the driver was taking full responsibility of her unfortunate death.

However, officials urged parents and family members to keep a watch on their children, especially near roads of high traffic. Police also called upon all motorists to drive with extreme caution near pedestrian crossings, and adhere to traffic rules and regulations in order to avoid the occurring of such tragic accidents in the future.

Recently, two Indian students were killed in a serious traffic accident that took place at dawn on Wednesday in Jebel Ali Gardens area while spending their holidays in Dubai, a Dubai Police source said. The car the two students were in had hit the pavement before it overturned in an area full of trees and was completely destroyed, the source added.

One of the students was 19 years old and the other 21 years old, the source said, adding that they used to study in Dubai before one of them went to the United States and the other to the United Kingdom to resume study. They arrived in Dubai for reunion vacation and were on their way back from a night party when their car overturned and they were killed.

The General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police called on drivers to exercise extreme caution and abide by the speed limits on roads, particularly on road turns and in tunnels. The department also called on road users to be careful of road surprises and concentrate in order to avoid such tragic accidents and the consequential human and financial losses.

Recently, the traffic patrols at the Umm Al Quwain Police  caught the driver who hit a woman riding a bicycle and fled the scene, the police confirmed on Friday evening. The driver has been monitored and arrested within three hours from occurrence of the accident.