Abu Dhabi: “If you think that using social media on smart phone while driving is a fun, you should hear our family’s story of everlasting pain,” says an Emirati man in the capital, whose brother was killed in a road accident last year.
“Everyone in my big family of nine siblings has been going through painful memories of my brother every day since he left us [on February 13, 2016],” Mansour Amer Lardhi, 53, a senior journalist at WAM, official news agency, told Gulf News in an interview.
His brother Mohammad Amer, 35, died at Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi after he lost control of his car, which skidded off a bridge.
On that fateful day, he was returning from Sharjah Airport, after dropping off a friend, and was en route to do a little fishing on Saadiyat beach.
“Mohammad was trying to avoid colliding with another car. He was successful in saving the life of the other car’s driver but could not save himself.”
He received skull injuries in the accident and died at the scene.
“Later we came to know that he was distracted by WhatsApp or Snapchat while driving, which caused the accident,” Lardhi said.
Mohammad is survived by his wife and three children under the age of seven.
He enjoyed driving fast but was an expert driver, Lardhi said.
“If you have a tendency to use a smartphone while driving, please remember the pain I shared. Please don’t use phones while driving at all,” Lardhi urged.
Lardhi’s father, 75, and mother, 70, still reflect on painful memories of their beloved son every day.
“Father wants to visit his grave often. We do not let him go alone. Because he is old and we are concerned about his health.”
Lardhi visits Mohammad’s grave every week.
“It is painful. Then I realise how much I miss him.”
He said he was sharing this personal grief with Gulf News to create awareness about the risks of texting and driving.
“People who think that using social media while driving is fun should know that it can leave people around you with everlasting pain. You may not only kill yourself but kill others also in an accident.”
Mohammad was a Special Forces soldier of the UAE Armed Forces.
His widow and children receive government support and other family members also take care of them.
“Still, I know nobody else can replace a father [for those children]”.
Looking at Mohammad’s picture on his mobile phone, Lardhi said his brother loved everyone.
“He was a loving man and had a good relationship with everyone.”
Mohammad extended help to many, he added.
“He was supporting the education of some orphans in India and Thailand. My sister took over that mission after his death.”
