Bus driver questioned after fatal Deira crash

Bus driver questioned after fatal Deira crash

By Bassam Za'za' and Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporters GULF NEWS
Published: November 13, 2007, 22:39

Dubai: A Roads and Transport Authority bus driver who reportedly drove "recklessly and at speed" is being questioned for accidentally killing one person and injuring ten others in a collision on Tuesday morning.


Police sources said the bus driver had jumped a red signal before hitting four vehicles, including another bus.

Salah Bu Farrousha, Head of the Traffic Public Prosecution Department in Dubai, did not confirm the driver had jumped a red signal and said the actual cause of the accident would be determined after technical reports by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the police and pictures from cameras installed on the interchange.

The Indian driver is being questioned for alleged speeding and reckless driving. The accident happened on Salahuddin Road at 10am, it resulted in massive traffic jams in Deira.

The RTA bus hit two vehicles when it swerved to the left side of the road then hit a bus which was dropping passengers off after it veered off to the right before it landed on a four-wheel drive killing a Pakistani passenger," Bu Farrousha told Gulf News.

Caught fire

The bus caught fire due to the impact of the accident. According to investigations, the Indian driver claimed that "when he pressed the brakes they didn't function properly," said Bu Farrousha.

He confirmed the driver had been speeding and described the crash as a major accident.

"A Pakistani man sustained serious injuries while his two compatriot males, three Indian men, two Filipinas, a Nepali man and a Bangladeshi woman escaped with minor injuries," said Bu Farrousha.

The deceased succumbed to serious head injuries shortly after the accident.

Khalifa Bin Darai, Executive Manager of Dubai Ambulance Services Centre, told Gulf News that nine ambulances attended the scene.

A witness, Ahmad, described the accident as "horrible" as he saw the bus on top of one of the cars. Another witness said he heard a bang and the sound of brakes.

"I saw people trying to help the victims by pulling them out of their cars before the police came," he said.

Joanna Huang, Communications Manager at Traders Hotel near where the accident happened, said: "When we realised an accident had occurred we quickly mobilised our emergency response team"

One motorist stuck in the jam said he was wary when near a bus because the drivers were "unpredictable."

Road safety: 16,000 offences recorded in a week

Newly-formed traffic control teams recorded more than 16,000 traffic offences in one week.

Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, had ordered the formation of traffic control teams from the traffic department.

The teams issued 16,185 fines and confiscated 128 vehicles between October 23 to 30.