A motorist escaped unhurt after crashing her SUV into a shopfront in Dubai when she hit the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, prompting a safety plea from police.
The woman and her passengers were uninjured in the incident at a shopping centre in Al Wasl on Sunday morning. The crash happened when the driver was attempting to park her Porsche Cayenne outside the Mumuso store on Al Sheif Road.
Police and an ambulance were quickly on the scene to attend to the driver and passengers. No other vehicles were involved and the shop front was damaged.
Mumuso – a store selling household goods, cosmetics and toys – was temporarily closed, but reopened about an hour later after debris had been cleared and the car towed away.
Akram Taallah, 21, works in a neighbouring store, Crocs, and described the scene as the car went through the shop front.
“I was working there and when I heard the crash, it was a big boom. I then heard someone from the Mumuso store start screaming,” he said. “The police were there quite quickly.”
Tahir, an employee of the nearby Bath and Body Works store, was with customers when the incident happened.
“I heard the crash. It was a loud bang, so I went out straight away to see what had happened and could see the damage,” he said.
“Thank God no one was injured. All the security team were there very quickly, and an ambulance was called for the woman as a precaution.”
Other witnesses said the operators of Mumuso boarded up the shop front and quickly went back to work.
The mall is in a busy area of Al Wasl and contains a large supermarket, hair salon, two off-licences and other shops and cafes.
Brig Jumaa bin Suwaidan, acting director of Dubai Traffic Police, urged drivers to stay focused and avoid distractions when behind the wheel.
“The driver lost control on the vehicle and crashed into the shop,” Brig bin Suwaidan said on Tuesday. “No casualties were reported in the incident but there were damages in the car and the shop.
“This kind of incident shows the importance of staying calm and focused while driving to avoid serious accidents.”
