A Dubai court has upheld a ruling against an Asian driver who accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, causing a tragic accident that killed a woman at a bus stop.
According to a report by Gulf News, the man was convicted of reckless driving after his vehicle veered onto the sidewalk and struck the victim, an Asian woman waiting at a designated bus stop. She later died from her injuries.
The traffic court sentenced him to a AED 10,000 fine, suspended his driving license for six months, and ordered him to pay AED 200,000 in blood money (diya) to the victim’s family. The ruling became final after the appeal window expired.
The woman’s heirs later pursued a civil case against the driver, his employer, and the insurance company, seeking AED 500,000 in compensation for emotional, psychological, and financial damages, citing that she had been their sole breadwinner.
While the defendants argued that the matter had already been settled in criminal court, Dubai’s civil court rejected this reasoning. Judges ruled that civil courts must honor established criminal judgments and emphasized that insurers are liable to cover damages caused by their policyholders when negligence leads to death.
After reviewing evidence, the court granted the family AED 50,000 in additional compensation for material and moral damages, recognizing the severe hardship caused by the sudden loss of their provider.
