Dubai court awards Rs 11 cr compensation to Indian accident victim

The UAE Supreme Court has awarded Dh 5 million (over Rs 11 crore) compensation to the Indian who was severely injured in a bus crash while traveling from Oman to Dubai.

Muhammad Baig Mirza was returning to Dubai from Muscat in June 2019 when the accident took place. He was 20 years old back then and had gone home to spend the Eid Al Fitr holidays with relatives.

Out of 31 passengers, 12 of whom were Indians, 17 people died after the bus driver hit an overhead height barrier placed at the entry point of Al Rashidiya Metro Station Parking. The accident led to complete destruction of the upper-left portion of the bus.

Following this incident, Mirza was admitted to Dubai’s Rashid Hospital for over two months. He remained unconscious for about 14 days, after which doctors claimed that his chances of returning to a normal life were very low due to the severe damage to the brain.

The 20-year-old was preparing for his final semester examination in Mechanical Engineering but was unable to complete his studies due to the accident.

The UAE Supreme Court ordered the insurance company to pay the compensation after reading a medical report, which said that Mirza had suffered 50 percent permanent brain damage.

“Muhammad Baig Mirza not only lost the functions of his body parts but also his chance at a happy life and a bright future. He was an extremely intelligent student and was a member of the university football and volleyball teams,” Senior Consultant Easa Anees told Khaleej Times.

“Due to this accident, his family had to suffer a huge mental, social, and financial impact. His father lost out on a huge promotion due to a decline in his performance after the mental shock of the accident. This amount will partially help the family recover from this life-altering accident,” Anees added.

According to Mirza’s lawyers, the UAE Insurance Authority — a primary compromise court — had initially awarded him Dh1 million as compensation. The petitioners then approached the Dubai Court of First Instance and got the compensation amount revised to Dh5 million.

Following the accident, the driver, a native of Oman, was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay blood money of Dh3.4 million to the families of the victims.

(Inputs from IANS)