Couple crushed to death after running red light

A man and wife were crushed by a cement lorry while taking a U-turn early on Saturday morning.

The couple may have been unaware that the relevant light for their lane was red.

ABU DHABI // A man and his wife were crushed to death by a cement lorry after driving through a red traffic light on Saturday morning.

The Saudi couple were making a U-turn on Khaleej Al Arabi street when the accident happened at 2am.

Lt Col Ahmed Al Zayoudi, the head of the accidents section of  Abu Dhabi’s traffic police, said they may not have been aware that the light for their lane was red.

He said the signal for an adjacent, non-turning, lane was green.

“The lorry was carrying cement and due its big size and heavy weight, they were completely crushed. The driver of the lorry was unharmed,” said Lt Col Al Zayoudi.

He added that there had been an increase in accidents caused by drivers ignoring red lights.

He said such accidents tended to be severe, causing either serious injuries or deaths.