ABU DHABI // When someone in your company dies in an accident, the last thing you would expect is to be held responsible.
But Abdul Hadi Shah, a Pakistani, found himself in that situation when a colleague died on the job. Mr Shah was 45 kilometres from the scene of the accident at the time.
Mr Shah had been working for a Dubai transport company for the past 11 years. His job title was “transport in charge”, and his duties included sending out company cars to deliver goods.
“In 2013, I got a call from one of our drivers at 11am. I’ll never forget that fateful day,” Mr Shah said.
The driver said he had a flat tyre and needed assistance. He was delivering a shipment and was close to his destination.
“I called our workshop and asked them to head to the location to help the driver,” said Mr Shah.
An hour later, the driver called again. “He was screaming on the phone and said that the man I sent to assist him was dead on the ground.”
While filling up the flat tyre with air, it exploded and a metal ring hit the man’s head. He died instantly. Police and the municipality were called to the scene.
“I wasn’t there but the supervisor from the municipality asked who ordered the job and was told that I did.”
Mr Shah was charged with negligence, not following safety procedures and not informing the deceased of the proper way to inflate a tyre.
“That isn’t even my job. All I do is place and send out cars. I don’t work at the workshop or take charge of safety,” he said.
Prosecutors and the courts disagreed. The company, which was not held responsible for the incident, gave Mr Shah Dh15,000 to hire a lawyer.
“I appealed three times and I lost them all. After the last appeal the lawyer told me to give up.”
The 40-year-old, who has a two-year-old daughter, was ordered last year to either pay Dh200,000 as blood money to the family of the deceased or spend three years in jail. His passport was also withheld.
“I make Dh4,000 a month. My family who are here all make the same or less,” he said.
“We’ve come to the UAE to make money to help our family back home. There is no way I can pay this kind of money even if I save money for the rest of my life.”
His father is 85-years-old and Mr Shah has not seen him, or his mother, in four years.
“I was planning to see them in 2013 but then this happened and I don’t know if I can see them again. I’m worried that something will happen to him and I won’t see him if he dies,” said Mr Shah with tears in his eyes. “My daughter has never seen her grandparents.”
Hisham Al Zahrani, manager of social services at Dar Al Ber Society said: “In Mr Shah’s case, he didn’t deliberately cause the death of the worker, nor was there any negligence on his part.
“He was just doing his job. We hope the community can help him pay off the blood money.”
salnuwais@thenational.ae