A young mother was pushing her toddler in a stroller while crossing the street when she was struck by a vehicle driven by a chauffeur and soon died of her injuries, the court heard yesterday.
The 26-year-old Yemeni woman was walking with her 18-month-old son on a zebra crossing along Mahzoora Avenue in Riffa when the fatal crash occurred.
A Bangladeshi private driver is on trial at the High Criminal Court for causing the death of the victim, Asma Saleh Abdulla, and injuring her son, Anas.
He pleaded not guilty to five charges: wrongful death, causing injury to the child, property damage, reckless driving and endangering the lives of pedestrians.
The crash occurred at around 3pm on November 30, when the suspect’s car struck Ms Abdulla, throwing her onto the bonnet and windshield, which dented the vehicle’s body and shattered its glass.
Due to the sheer force of the collision, the woman was propelled 34m forward onto the road, according to a General Directorate of Traffic report.
The defendant’s vehicle also collided with the stroller, causing young Anas to fall onto the street.
As soon as the 38-year-old suspect stopped his car, he called 999, and an ambulance rushed to the scene, but the mother died en route to BDF Hospital.
The now-orphaned boy was taken to Salmaniya Medical Complex for treatment of minor injuries and kept under observation during his hospital stay. He was discharged the following day.
Although part of the court documents said his injuries were minor and not life-threatening, another document states that he suffered bruises to his liver.
Meanwhile, the victim’s autopsy states that she suffered skull fractures and heavy internal bleeding. A medical examiner noted that there were injuries all over her body.
Upon testing, she appeared to have had no alcohol and narcotics in her system, and no foul play was suspected in the case.
The Bangladeshi defendant, too, tested negative for all sorts of intoxicants.
However, his criminal record shows a prior traffic violation in 2019 for running a red light, for which he was fined BD50. In his statement, he claimed he was driving at a speed of only 60kmph to 70kmph when the tragedy occurred.
In a defence memorandum, the expatriate chauffeur’s lawyer argued that the woman was solely responsible for causing the accident.
“The victim was walking in front of the man’s car while knowing how dangerous it was,” the lawyer claimed.
“The primary mistake in this incident was the victim’s foolish decision to cross, which makes her responsible for the accident – not the defendant. “She was crossing the street in an area not designated for pedestrians,” he alleged, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Judges have set February 10 as the date for issuing a verdict in the case.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))