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Another pile-up in Abu Dhabi leaves one dead

This is the second such pile-up in less than a week.

A road pile-up on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi on Tuesday morning led to the death of one of the drivers.

The accident, involving a pile-up of five vehicles, took place at an interchange near Al Raha beach where construction work is underway with new diversions.

One of the drivers died of burn injuries on the spot after his vehicle caught fire. Two women, an Emirati and an African, sustained moderate to severe injuries and were rushed to Mafraq Hospital and Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), while deceased was taken to the SKMC mortuary.

“The accident happened just before Al Raha beach towards Abu Dhabi city direction. It was caused by reckless driving and not keeping enough distance,” said Lt-Colonel Jamal Al Ameri, Head of Public Relations at Abu Dhabi Traffic and Patrols Directorate.

“As soon as the operations room at Abu Dhabi Police received the report, a strong team of rescue, traffic police patrols and civil defence, including ambulances with paramedics, reached the accident scene. The injured were immediately rushed to hospital and the road was cleared for the traffic,” said Al Ameri.

He also advised motorists to pay extra precaution on the road, particularly when the visibility is low, and avoid speeding.

“Abide by traffic regulations and expect surprises on the road, so pay attention and reduce speed when approaching areas where there are diversions and road works,” he advised. He added that an investigation into the accident was already under way.

On Sunday, Al Ameri announced a new regulation that banned heavy vehicles on roads early morning and during poor visibility.

The official called upon company owners and truck drivers to adhere to traffic laws and regulations. He said that trucks weighing 2.5 tons or more are not allowed to enter Abu Dhabi city during foggy weather conditions and peak traffic hours, which were identified as the hours between 7:30 am-9:30 am and 1:00 pm-3:00 pm.

The regulation comes following two major pile-ups involving 57 vehicles on Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Highway on Thursday (January 16).

At least 14 people were injured, one seriously, when 57 vehicles, including a police car, were involved in two pile-ups on either side of the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Highway at Abu Samra on Thursday morning due to heavy fog, which was a grim reminder of the largest pile-up of 200 vehicles in the country at Ghantoot in March 2008.

nissar@khaleejtimes.com