UAE

Father, two children killed in Al Ain crash

His car collided head-on with another vehicle that had jumped the median strip, hospital sources say; another child in the vehicle was seriously hurt.

Essam Al Ghalib

May 23, 2011

  • English
  • Arabic

AL AIN // An Emirati man, his 10-year-old son and five-year-old daughter were killed this morning in a head-on collision near Bawadi Mall.

Another son, age seven, is in critical condition at Tawam Hospital's intensive care unit after suffering a skull fracture, officials say.

The accident occurred as the father was driving his children to school along Zayed bin Sultan Street. A motorist jumped the median and slammed head on into the car carrying the family, according to a Tawam Hospital source.

The father and the 10-year-old were pronounced dead at the scene. The girl was rushed to Tawam Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her.

"This was a sad morning for us all," said an emergency room doctor, a member of the medical team who treated the girl. "We haven't had a day this difficult in a long time."

The doctor said that the five-year-old was not in a child car seat and that none of them appeared to have been wearing seat belts.

"The injuries are consistent with those an unrestrained person suffers in a collision," he said. The driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries and told police he had been cut off by another motorist.

It was unclear whether the driver was in custody. Al Ain Police confirmed the accident and said they would issue a statement later today.

ealghalib@thenational.ae

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