Sharjah: Two passengers were decapitated instantly early Tuesday when a speeding four-wheel-drive vehicle slammed into the rear of a parked heavy truck without braking, confirmed police.
Two others riding in the same vehicle were also killed.
The absence of any braking skidmarks on the pavement is evidence that the speeding driver — a police officer was taken by surprise in the inky blackness of the early hours and did not have time to veer away.
The severity of the violent collision was horrific, said Colonel Shawaf Mohammad Abdul Rahman, Director-General of the Traffic and Patrols department in the General Directorate of Sharjah Police.
The impact was so severe, in fact, that the force of the collision compressed the four-wheel-drive vehicle into squashed metal underneath the rear of the heavy truck.
The deadly collision took place at around 2am on Sharjah Airport Road between intersection 3 and 4 heading towards Sharjah.
Police said the heavy truck was parked on the right shoulder of the road due to an engine fault.
The truck’s driver did not place any fluorescent warning signs around his truck to warn passing motorists, police said. No warning flares were posted around the truck.
The Emirati victims were identified as Y.M.E., 29, and K.Y.I., 30, P.K., Indian, and R.A., Bangladeshi.
The incident took place when Y.M.E, a police officer with the rank of First Sergeant, realised that he had forgotten his military uniform as he had joined military courses at a military camp for promotion. Before the accident happened, police said, he picked up his two Asian passengers who worked at the laundry so that they could open the shop and fetch his uniform.
Police said later on the driver was “driving at high speed”.
The accident was compounded by the fact that the driver of the heavy truck which failed, parked in a wrong place, Col Abdul Rahman said.
Police patrols cordoned off the road to ease the work of removing the bodies and to prevent rubbernecking by passing motorists.
Police also diverted traffic to alternative routes to avoid traffic congestion.
The bodies were moved to Al Qasimi Hospital and Al Kuwaiti Hospital to be handed over to their families.
The case of the incident was referred to the competent authorities to complete the necessary legal procedures.
Col Abdul Rahman stressed the need for truck drivers to park their trucks in allocated places and never park on the side of the road.
In cases of emergency and engine malfunction, drivers must put warning flares or signs to alert motorists and to avoid such tragic incidents, Col Abdul Rahman said.
