Driver killed child in Doha

posting this, because I keep getting a note that says 1 new post, while nothing is there.

Hope this post will fix it!

Nationality does not come into it. It is just that Colt seemed to have a bee in his bonnet about the fact a 'Pakistani' driver was at fault. Are you Pakistani by any chance Colt?

Please, give more concern to the 4yr old child, killed by a grown adult.

It wouldn't be the first time in this town that the guilty party's nationality suddenly changed,now would it?...i don't suppose there's any point even discussing that because it may have happened this time & it's going to continue happening...so that's my take on it,to clarify,i'm not justifying it at all,if it happened,it's wrong,as wrong as this little girl getting killed,if not worse...some poor Asian guy taking the rap for a local kid's mistake,how often does that happen here?...

roads fronting a school everyday, you'll know the stress of having even to pass it safely. During loading and unloading of their children, you would even think that these parents doesn't care about other people but themselves only.

ANd we are bashing a driver? Honestly, no excuse for such unfortunate incident, BUT hope you don't experience this INCREDIBLE scenario in front of these school everyday! Very stressful!

First of all it is a school zone with two school side by side. There should be the good old lollypop lady/man to hel parents and kids cross the Road.

driver ultimately responsible. Sentence too lightly. But in this part of the world as they would say it was the will of Allah.

what I meant was the comments that had come through criticising the driving habits of locals whereas the particular event which I mentioned didnt elicit much of a response because the culprit here was a western lady.

FU sure about what??

I can only agree fully with marhaba. Never in my whole life have I seen such reckless driving habits like the ones parents show in front of schools in Qatar!

No worries nomerci :-)

ok snessy, just wanted to make myself clear...:)

I live 1 minute from the School and despite the fact there was a sad death last year AND despite the fact that barriers and road humps are all along the road outsde the school IT IS STILL DANGEROUS due to the moronic attitude of the PARENTS who drop off / collect their kids from the school!! These people are totally at fault - they have NO RESPECT for road manners whatsoever and this WILL result in another death - sooner rather than later.

WK - Are you sure?

I got the impression people weren't concerned about the driver's nationality but were interested to know how the driver's nationality changed from when the story initally broke out. Could it be someone else was paid to take the rap?? Saying that, it could be purely down to hearsay, seeing as the girl was five years old previously and now she is four.

I know none of the above is relevant when a little girl has lost her life, but we're just discussing this terrible tragedy.

Nomerci...My response was to gadarene and a few of the others, as it wasn't for anyone in particular I didn't address it to anyone :-)

snessy, isale and I were actually talking about another case that isale brought up in one of his posts.

gardarene, I mentioned it because it was brought up by the OP, and I could not see what he claimed in his post. That's all.

@ s_isale & everyone else debating the driver's nationality...??? does the nationality of the driver make any difference to those parents that lost their 4-year old daughter???...will the fact that it was one nationality & not another bring their daughter back???...the answer is an emphatic NO...the OP says "driver" killed child in Doha,i.e someone ANYONE driving that vehicle,the person must be punished with a few decades behind bars & have his lisence revoked,for the rest of his life...3 months is a JOKE,doesn't matter what NATIONALITY the driver was...

isale, where does it say it was not an Asian/Arab etc?

Just curious.....

"it was not driven by a Qatari or another arab/asian"

didn't find that either

did you witness the accident? spoke to someone who witnessed it?

ok, the wording was exaggerated as is the general case here. It was a speeding car, it was a 4 wheeler and it was not driven by a Qatari or another arab/asian.

"was mowed down by a western lady"

didn't find it anywhere in the link you sent

prince here it is

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/1388265

not i-sale!

the driver is a western lady!

Even if you are driving at 10 or 5kph, if a small child suddenly crossed, accident will happen.

But let us just believe what the police said in his statement. He is the authority even for many occasions, we know their capacity and how they react or even decide on situations on the road!

link please

the other day when a Pakistani was mowed down by a western lady in front PEC/ or some other school, there was no blame on the driver mentioned in any of the postings here.

why the double standards?

Unless we have a flyover or a subway; crossing the road is not a good idea even at the right place and right time. You never know who will run over you.... Alas!

I was just driving down E ring road at around 100, that's the speed limit there and someone passed me by as if I am standing still.. Dude was atleast at 160 and cutting across lanes flashing high beams all the time.. With drivers like those, one should not be putting even a foot on the roads.

I hope it stays that way too.

Colt, all I can tell you is this. I have a child that i pick up regularly from school. And the driving that I have seen there, the accidents about to happen...they are numerous, scarily so. There are some people who pick up their charges, and do not care one bit what is going on around them...thank god the mothers and fathers are more careful...and outspoken.....so far nothing has happened. Hopefully it stays that way.

He must have had a good defence lawyer, who could prove that maybe he was within the speed limit and it was a lone case of careless crossing (jay-walking) and thereby, not completely his fault.

But yes if he's at TOTAL fault, then I do agree the sentence should have been more stringent.

Well, even IF there are no signs indicating this is a school zone and even IF the speed limit is not what it should be in a school zone, one can use one's eyes, and if one does, one will see many people and children around...that alone should be enough to drive very, very slowly and carefully. IMHO

sorry, wrong thread

I'm not so sure on that one... but yeah being a Muslim, I think he will be deserving of some form of punishment.

Define "driving in such a way". It could well have been a 100kms/hr limit and he could have been doing 90kms/hr. It's speed enough to kill even a grown person who darts across the road in an attempt to cross.

We don't know facts and judging from previous experience with courts here, the victim/ victims family is ALWAYS right.

If you read properly, you'd know that I said "we're" speculating, based on the media reports, not the media.

Colt, I mean even if this case is dropped, won't that Kuwaiti be charged of Drinking? I believe that any Muslim arrested drunk here in Qatar are given some punishment.

For a start, I don't think 4yr old Danah or her parents care of the drivers nationality, it wont fetch her back, so get off your high horse on that one - what ever his nationality, he ran a little girl over.

As for not knowing it was a school zone ........ he should have been driving in such away not to risk a pedestrians life where ever he is, school or not. The court judges and a policeman assigned to the case say the driver is responsible for her death. Now, unless you are privy to the police report/investigation and the court notes, they certainly trump you. As you said, you don't know the facts, they do.

Yes, I agree with you, the parents were also irresponsible. My 4yr old would have hold of at least one parents hand when crossing any road, especially in Qatar.

I don't agree on the 'media speculation' bit you reference, the paper is quoting the court findings which are fact. Though it would have been helpful if the OP had backed it up with a link to the paper article.

Kuwait is supposed to be a dry country... so I hear ;-(, but you can get your stash on the side ;-)

Now that's what I call FORGIVENESS... imagine the heart of that woman.... or maybe she's too scared??? :-(

Genesis, and drinking for locals is legal in Kuwait?

oh dear!

Must have been a terrible sight for the family and a true shock for the driver. Iám sure he'll repent for it all his life. I wonder how such people sleep peacefully.

This happened about a year ago and at that time it was said to be an Arab national... one year down the line, it changes to a Pakistani driver... explain that!

Moving on, how is the driver or anyone to know that it is a school zone when there is no proper signage outside schools in Doha? Since there was no crossing zone indicated, he could well have been within his speed limit. And if you wanna talk about responsibility, don't you think it was the MOTHERS prime responsibility to ensure she held her daughter's hand firmly while crossing the road, so that she wouldn't stop to pick up what fell off causing her to get run over?

Maybe the judge didn't find him totally at fault and let him off with a minimum sentence/ fine. We don't know facts, we're just speculating here from what we read in the media.

Besides, one time you say "It is his fault, no probable about it" and the next sentence you say, "I agree with the OP, if he is at fault for a 4yr olds death". Make up your mind!!!

"3 months"???...talk about a cruel,sick joke...fully agree with bunnyhug on this one...who ought to have more responsibility,a licensed adult driver or a 4yr. old child???...& yes,the driver's gender,race & nationality are COMPLETELY immaterial here...

by saying 'he is probably at fault'?

The law of the land tried him, and found him responsible .... this means 'at fault'.

It is his fault, no probable about it.

I agree with the OP, if he is at fault for a 4yr olds death ....... what kind of punishment is 3 months suspended from driving!!!

Who do you think should have had more sense in front of a school ....... a 4yr old child, or a grown man, responsible enough to drive a ton of metal?

I've seen the driving here, we all know what happened and who's to blame, save you bleeding hearts for the stupid driver .... regardless of nationality!!!

He is already spending his precious life in jail, and surely for a very long time.

I heard alot of twist and turns in this incident....

My heartiest condolence to the deceased family....

As far as the verdict is concerned, i feel it's a straight slap on someone's face where a person who has killed an innocent child gets the suspension of driving license for JUST 3 months...Disgusting and Pathetic!!

No BLOOD MONEY or BLACK MONEY could get back that innocent girl...

May her soul RIP..

Guys, Gone through the posts and everybody is discussing if it is the fault of the driver or not. I have seen a different post here from cherukkan who is worried about the Nationality of the driver (Arab National changed to a Pakistani for the verdict). A scapegoat?

on drivers during school hours and fortunate to get less punishment.

Another case of irresponsible parents to leave a 4 year old child alone on the roads to cross/die.

whyte, that is why i said it should be the police doing this...nobody pays heed to some security guy.

Have your hand chopped off for stealing sweets and suspended from driving for killing a child!! This middle east law is totally unbalanced!

most of the time, they park in the middle and open their LC's and cross the street leaving opened car at the center of the road! You need a thousand police to keep this places in order! And Qatar has none!

he is not in saudi or it would have been beheading off with his head

Or just make it mandatory for speed-breakers and signals outside ALL schools.

I Pass by a couple of schools in the morning on my way to work and there is a guy directing traffic in front of the school gate.

There is still a bit of a chaos at times because people are parked haphazardly along the side of the road..

They should introduce lollipop ladies/men here. Works in the UK...

I'm not trying to condone the drivers actions here, he is probably at fault for his speeding/ reckless driving.

What I'm trying to highlight here is that it's easy for us to speculate the probabilities of the incident and blame the driver when we're fully aware of the perils of driving in Doha.

God forbid you run over a person jay-walking, when you're well within your 100kms/ hour speed limit. Will you be pardoned or will you be blamed for reckless driving and have to cough up blood money/ prison time?

driver is traveling not on his proper lane because the lane where he should be is occupied! By whom, your guess is as good as mine! And that's where the confusion is!

SPOT ON... there needs to be Police or volunteers from the school authorities assisting in road-crossing.

I remember being an RSVP (road side volunteer police) during my high-school days. When school was out we had to regulate traffic to help all the kids cross.

the prince, I do not quite think it was fate only in this case, I think the driver of the car had a lot to do with it.

We all know how "cautious" people drive in Qatar.

I agree, they should put massive amounts of speed bumps up, plus as soon as school is over, there should be people regulating traffic...preferably police.

but there are schools in some areas of Doha that do not make it known to drivers that it is a school zone. And unless that is your daily route of commute, who is any the wiser to know?

There should be some form of signage displayed that cautions drivers and reduces driving speed.

agree, errors DO happen, only some are fatal.

nomerci:

It can happen to anyone, even if he's cautious

Remember, her family was cautious as well, but fate had the last say :(

If you believe in God, pray to Him it doesn't happen to you.

on specific hour?

It is simple, in a school zone kids have right of way, ALWAYS. There is absolutely no need for a child to be killed there, IF and WHEN the drivers realize where they are and that there are small children around, as simple as that.

I will have to refrain from commenting about this sentence.

I don't doubt that and it's probably true, but we're only human and there could have been a slip this one time which proved to be fatal :-(

The same thought came across my mind, but then I found a comment someone who was close to the family, and described them as

"... I know Walid, Mimo Chadi and Dana and I know that Walid and Mimo are extremely cautious parents, they love their kids and take extra care of them, they are exceptional parents and for all those who don't know them I say this is a family that had everything, a family that was perfect, their kids were ALWAYS priority ..."

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/758991?page=1

I think it was as much the mothers fault as it was the drivers. Her mother should have been more responsible while crossing the road, knowing fully well how people drive here.

On the airport road after FFC too, many people have been run over by speeding vehicles. The downside is that after dark, it is difficult for a driver to spot a person recklessly running across the road unless you have your high-beam on. I have experienced this often :-(

Regarding the decision, it's harsh for us to rest all the blame on the driver considering the fact that there was no crossing zone, speed-bumps and a general lack of safety measures outside the school premises.

Besides, who knows if the Pakistani national was the actual person driving the car?

You get 3 months sentence and license suspended for 3 months so that you can not drive while you are in jail????

This is the most ridiculous law I have ever seen or heard.. Blood money is a useless concept, there are insurance companies to take care of that.

what I wanna know is if they don't pay the blood money, what happens?

what I wanna know is if hey don't pay the blood money, what happens?

it is standard right?

Go through the link given by drmana in which it is clearly written that the four wheeler was driven by an Arab National and now how come the driver changed to a Pakistani?

"The four-wheeler, driven by an Arab national, was parked on the other side of the road in front of the school, so it had not picked speed yet, eye witnesses told The Peninsula yesterday".

Thanks for taking the trouble to find the previous post.

However that is more about the incident.

I was interested in the opinion on the sentence given.

What do people think about the sentence?

this topic is against the pakistanis... thats not good, we have to respect all the natinalities

I am with the same opinion of Ice Maiden. I remember the newspaper report when the accident took place and I am sure the driver of the Landcruiser was not a Pakistani. It was posted that the girl was crossing the road with her mother and she stopped in the middle of the road to pick up something she dropped.

WORM_HEAD, you're really a gem

I agree some pedestrians are just as bad as some drivers, nevertheless, the accident took place outside a school, would you not drive extra careful around those parts? If he hit the girl at a slow speed, there was a chance she would've survived.

Better to cut YOUR tongue

Lawahda pedestrian has the right of way (Universal driving rule)

You can't blame only to driver. There could also be mistake done by that girl as well. I am not selfish I am jsut trying to bring real picture up of the accident. untill you get complete report or perfect report you can't say any thing who was wrong or right..

Here every one is blaming that driver...Did any of you see the accident...live..... try to be practical Qlers........

This is where the incident was discussed.

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/758991#comment-1154444

They took a whole year to give this verdict :-(

they should also chop off his hands

Danger on roads outside schools

By timebandit on Sun, 17/10/2010 - 7:31am

Read more: http://www.qatarliving.com/node/1388265#ixzz12mW4kqEE

At schools in UK we have two things

a. classes to teach children to cross the road.... I remember going to them

http://www.rospa.com/about/history/tufty.aspx

b. we have lollipop ladies who help children cross the road to and from school

However the verdict is 3 months suspended license - surely that isn't right???

Coughing up hard cash seems the easy way out of trouble here :-(

If I remember correctly, the mother of Danah had posted her story in QL sometime back as to how she coped with her loss.

These sentences are the reason why people never learn to drive cautiously here.

something is wrong with this picture..4 y/o crossing alone?...while her family was on the opposite side...am i reading correctly?..anyway, in a school zone one has to be extra careful.

This article was in today's newspaper.....and I couldn't find a previous post...I obviously didn't look very well.

I guess its the shock :(

Bloody hell! Surely the driver should go to prison...

Pakistani National?? i heard otherwise..

Insurance company liable for reckless driving and killing an innocent child????

what a wonderful judicial system we have!!

a day or two ago. And our concern was also discussed there! I'l find the link for you! GM!

it seems it's always the sanction they give for reckless driving.. shame, he should never be allowed to sit in front of a steering wheel ever.. :/

Am I reading this wrongly???? Or this guy ONLY get his license suspended for three months?

Is he being put in prison???