Bus driver could face jail over head injuries

DUBAI // A car driver, a school bus driver and a supervisor face possible prison terms if they are convicted on charges relating to an accident in which a schoolgirl was hit by a car just after getting off the bus. The accident happened as the girl, identified as Hind MA, was crossing the road with the supervisor on Feb 26 near her home in the Hamriya area of Deira. She suffered serious head injuries. The car driver, MA, 19, from Pakistan, has been charged with changing lanes illegally and not paying enough attention to other road users; the bus driver, FH, 40, also a Pakistani, with parking illegally in such a way as to place the lives of his passengers at risk; and FF, the supervisor, a 42-year-old Indian, with contributing to the victim's injuries by neglecting her duties as a school bus supervisor, for which she had received training. In a statement, the traffic prosecution office said it would call for a guilty verdict and a prison term of up to one year and a fine of up to Dh10,000 (US$2,722) for each ­defendant when the case comes to trial on a date yet to be set. The announcement of the prosecutions came a day after the Ministry of Education said that Dh10m had been allocated to allow schools to recruit bus monitors. The funding package was in response to concerns about a series of fatal accidents involving children who had disembarked from buses. The ministry is also developing a safety campaign for school bus drivers. hbathish@thenational.ae