Gulf citizen fined Dhs50,000 for hitting American with his yacht

Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Misdemeanor Court fined a Gulf citizen Dhs50,000 after hitting with his yacht an American young man, who was diving offshore near Umm Al Hatab Island in Palm Deira, and causing a permanent disability estimated at 45 per cent to him.

The incident dated back to June 2020 when a young man filed a complaint with the coast guard in which he stated that while he and a group of friends were practising scuba diving near Palm Deira, he was surprised by a yacht passing through the same place and hitting the victim. The yacht moved on rapidly after stopping for a few seconds a few meters away from the scene of the accident, he added.

The complainant went on to say that he and others took the victim, who was covered with blood, out of the sea quickly and called the police and coast guard, who transported him to the hospital for the necessary medical treatment.

Another witness stated that he saw a yacht hitting the victim who was near a yacht practising scuba diving with a number of friends, adding that the victim tried to dive into the water immediately after being hit to avoid the strong shock but appeared shortly behind the yacht with blood flowing from him.

The witness added that they had taken all safety and warning measures before the accident and these included placing a white and blue flag on top of the yacht in addition to signs indicating the presence of divers offshore.

The victim stated that he was surprised by a yacht approaching him quickly and hitting him in the head while he was practicing scuba diving, adding that he tried to avoid more injuries by diving into the water. The propellers of the yacht’s engine, however, pulled him towards the engines causing several injuries to his thigh and damaging his diving suit.

According to the convict, he saw only one yacht at a distance of about 5 nautical miles but he neither saw the diving signs nor hit the victim, denying he knew anything about the accident.

The forensic doctor’s report indicated that the victim sustained joint fractures and atrophy of the thigh muscles, which is considered a permanent disability estimated at about 45 per cent.

According to the official documents, a team of the competent authorities gathered inferences and came to the conclusion that the co-ordinates of the yacht led by the convict intersected with the time and location of the victim’s yacht and that the accident was caused by the convict for driving his yacht inattentively at a very high speed.

It is noted that it is not allowed to enter a diving area if there are warning devices and flags indicating the presence of divers at a distance of 300 metres unless sailing at a speed not exceeding two knots per hour.

The report of the competent authorities indicated that the victim’s yacht was hoisting the UAE flag and the diving white and blue flag and that the convict entered the area of the other yacht at a speed of 27 knots per hour.