Driver fined Dh100,000 for killing pedestrian in UAE

A motorist, who was convicted of running over and killing a pedestrian, has been ordered to pay blood money to the victim's family.

The Federal Supreme Court upheld the earlier rulings by lower courts that handed down the sentence to the Arab man after he was found guilty of causing death of the Asian worker in a road accident. The court also ordered that the man be jailed for three months.

The court documents stated that the motorist had knocked down the man as he was crossing the road on one of the roads in the northern emirates. The man died on the spot. The incident took place last year when the worker was heading back home.

A medical report showed that victim had sustained severe injuries and multiple fractures to his body.

Investigations by traffic officers said the accident was caused by speeding and inattentiveness on part of the driver and also the pedestrian's failure to abide by traffic laws.

During his trial, the driver, from an Arab country, denied any wrong doing in causing the accident claiming that he was abiding by the speed limit and was not



driving recklessly at the time of the accident.

But prosecutors presented evidence to court showing that the man was driving beyond the acceptable speed limit and was also inattentive.

Officers also said the Asian victim tried to cross the road from a non-pedestrian crossing area.

Both the Court of First Instance and the Appeal Court convicted the driver and ordered him to pay blood money of Dh100,000 to the victim's family.

The Arab man appealed to the Supreme Court which maintained earlier rulings. The judge said in his ruling that the driver will pay half the blood to the victim's family because the pedestrian played a part in the accident.

The Federal Supreme Court judge said the victim's failure to abide by the traffic law does not relieve the driver of the car from his legal responsibility of paying blood money to the victim's family for accidentally causing death of their relative. "The driver can be spared from paying the full amount because the pedestrian played part in causing the accident when he crossed from a wrong spot of the road," said the judge.