Emirati died in road rage incident in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI // The death of an Emirati man who was assaulted by two men on the street after a traffic quarrel was due to blows to the head, a forensic doctor told the criminal court yesterday.

The victim, over age 50, was driving on Mussafah road in Al Bateen when the MS and HS, also Emirati, forced him to get out of his car. They attacked him because he did not let them overtake.

After the beating, the victim was still conscious and pointed at the two defendants, explaining what they had done, when police arrived at the scene.

Senior forensics consultant Dr Mohammed Rushdi told the court that the victim died after severe bleeding inside his skull.

The defence lawyer asked if such attacks on the head are usually deadly and whether the defendants intended to kill him.

"Of course they are deadly," Dr Rushdi said, "but how am I supposed to know their criminal intention?"

The investigators' report showed that the victim had a high level of alcohol in his blood. The defence attorney asked if that might have hastened the man's death, when combined with the beating.

The doctor said there was no connection.

The defence attorney asked if the CPR conducted on the victim at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) could have caused the broken ribs mentioned in the forensics report. The doctor said it could have.

Chief Justice Abdul Baseer asked if the victim was acting normal when he reported the incident to police.

"He was taking normally; for a non-doctor he would have seemed in a completely normal state," Dr Rushdi said.

At an earlier hearing, the victim's daughter told the court that when her father was taken to SKMC he was kept waiting for some time before being treated.

"Could the delay in receiving first aid have quickened his death?" Justice Baseer asked.

Dr Rushdi said he would need to know the exact time of check-in and time of death to answer the question.

The defence attorney asked for footage of the accident from police CCTV cameras. He also asked to bring a recording of the phone calls made from the defendants' phones.

"The defendants were the ones who reported the accident to the police," he said.

He also asked for the doctor who conducted the first examinations on the victim before he died.

The court adjourned the case until August 13.