Emirati girl, 4, knocked down as she steps off school bus

ABU DHABI // A 4-year-old girl has been knocked down as she stepped off a school bus.

The Emirati child was being dropped outside her home in Al Yahar, Al Ain, when the incident occurred on Wednesday, The National’s Arabic sister paper, Al Ittihad, reported.

The girl, named Fatima, sustained fractures in her left foot and both her shoulders as well as a head injury. She was rushed to Al Yahar Healthcare Centre, where she was given first aid before being admitted in a coma to Tawam Hospital.

She is now in stable condition, doctors have confirmed.

According to the child’s grandfather, Hassan Saleh Al Buraiki, her mother was busy preparing lunch when she heard the maid yelling and hurried out to see what was wrong.

To her horror, the mother saw Fatima lying motionless on the street amid a crowd of passers-by and residents.

“Fatima was let out of the bus and crossed the street before the maid could catch up with her, so she was hit by a passing car,” Mr Al Buraiki told Al Ittihad.

Emirates Transport general manager Mohammed Abdullah Al Jerman visited the hospital along with Abdulla bin Swaif Al Ghufli, executive director of the group’s School Transport Division, and Rasheed Awad Mohammed, the director of Al Ain Branch.

Mr Mohammed said Emirates Transport is investigating the incident and will take action if anyone is found to have been negligent.