Abu Dhabi // When Sharifa Al Beloushi, a UAE national, saw four bloody bodies scattered on Khalifa Street, she instinctively knew she had to help.
“I wasn’t scared or shocked. I just knew I immediately had to get out of my car and help those people.”
Ms Al Beloushi was driving into the city at 7am earlier this month when a driver lost control and the car overturned.
“I saw the bodies of the driver and the person sitting next to him lying next to the car and the other two were a bit farther,” she said.
Ms Al Beloushi is a First Assistant at Civil Defence and leader of a “Sanid” [support] voluntary team.
“I had received extensive first-aid training so I had experience. I immediately grabbed the ghutra [Emirati headwear] of one of the onlookers and tied the driver’s head, which was bleeding heavily. “The ambulance arrived in a few minutes and I started tying all the wounds before they were taken to the hospital.”
The Emirates Identity Authority honoured Ms Al Beloushi in appreciation of her efforts in saving the lives of the four Asian men.
“Unfortunately one of the men died shortly after at the hospital. At the scene it did look to me like he wasn’t going to make it but I still had to do whatever I could to try to save his life and I tied his wounds.”
Emirates ID said: “The honouring of Al Beloushi is in line with Emirates ID’s keenness to inspire the spirit of initiative and voluntary work aimed at serving community, promote compassion, humanitarian work and relieving the needy people and contribute to shedding light on individuals who are loyal to their community.”
She was presented with a shield by Abdul Nasser Al Ali, director of Al Barsha Centre.
“I was very happy especially since my son was at the ceremony and saw his mom getting awarded,” said the mother of six.
Emirates ID said Ms Al Beloushi’s “braveness and humanitarian work represents the nobleness of Emiratis. Without any hesitance, Al Beloushi stopped her car upon seeing the accident and rushed to provide first aid to the injured people while waiting for ambulance to reach the scene. Thanks to her aid, those people are still alive.”
newsdesk@thenational.ae
