Dubai Police officer lost leg after Porsche driver rammed into patrol car

Reckless motorist escapes jail term after plea for leniency

A Dubai police offer lost a leg after a driver rammed into his vehicle. Pawan Singh / The National

A Dubai Police officer lost a leg after a driver slammed her vehicle into a patrol car in a reckless accident.

The officer's leg was badly damaged and had to be amputated following the incident in Jebel Ali.

Details of the drama came to light in court when the woman driver of the vehicle involved contested a jail sentence at Dubai Traffic Court.

Judges were told that the Emirati, 30, was recklessly driving her Porsche when the accident happened on March 21.

The incident happened when a patrol car was called to the area after a vehicle broke down in the middle of a road.

After pushing the stalled car to the side of the carriageway, and despite using sirens and hazard lights, the speeding Porsche failed to brake, the court heard.

The officer was hit by the Porsche, after which the car crashed into the broken-down vehicle and injured one of its passengers.

The driver of the broken-down vehicle sustained moderate injuries.

A road accident reconstruction expert told Dubai Traffic Court said the driver of the Porsche bore sole responsibility of the crash.

“It was a direct result to her negligence and lack of attention,” the expert said in court.

Dubai traffic prosecutors charged the woman with endangering life and damaging property.

She was sentenced to one month in prison in June and her driving licence was suspended for three months.

But as the verdict was issued in absentia, the woman was granted a retrial during which she admitted to charges and pleaded for leniency.

The court quashed the woman’s sentence and replaced it with a Dh10,000 ($2,722) fine. In its ruling, the court stated it was showing leniency towards her.

“Despite the fact that the verdict is based on accurate legal grounds and should be upheld, the court sees in its capacity to take the defendant by leniency and amend the punishment to a fine of Dh10,000,” the verdicts said.

The verdict has already been appealed by prosecutors and a hearing in the expected in court this week.