Dana’s grieving dad recalls tragic crash
dubai — After the tragic death of a 15-year-old Jordanian girl in an accident on the Dubai-Al Ain road last weekend, over 3,000 Al Ain residents attended her funeral, in a show of community spirit and great solidarity with the girl’s family.
Her parents and siblings were seriously injured in the crash and rushed to Rashid Hospital, thanks to the quick actions of a doctor and good samaritan who happened to be driving by when the accident happened, and rushed to aid the injured family.
Amjad Jarrar, the young victim Dana’s father and a professor at UAE University, recovered enough to be able to speak to Khaleej Times, at the hospital. Despite his pain and grief, Professor Jarrar welcomed this reporter warmly.
The accident happened when their four-wheel drive vehicle drove into a pit and overturned several times. Tearfully, he recounted the incident, how the stranger doctor turned up to their aid, and how he constantly prays for his family’s recovery and for more patience to accept God’s will.
Everything happened in just seconds, recalled Prof Jarrar. Most clear in his mind are his children’s screams. “We were chatting along the way and everything was normal; my wife was driving and she suddenly lost control of the vehicle, which veered off to a sandy area on the roadside. But we were surprised by a pit there, which caused the car to overturn several times, throwing us all out of the vehicle,” he said.
“I will never forget what happened… especially hearing Dana and the other children’s cries, calling for help.”
When he pulled himself out of the wrecked vehicle, Jarrar found himself with a fractured left arm and experiencing chest pains. He then spotted Dana, unable to breathe and her eyes getting wider. “A man had stopped to help us and he turned out to be a doctor. He tried to help my daughter breathe. We tried our best to revive her, but it was God’s will…,” Prof Jarrar drifted off.
Helplessly, he turned to his little son, whose face had turned blue and was bleeding heavily. “I alerted the doctor, who helped to keep him alive. Many other people also stopped to help and call the Dubai Police. The air wing helicopter arrived so quickly and transported us to the hospital.”
Current condition of family
Dr Bilal Al Yafawi, consultant and head of the orthopaedic department at Rashid Hospital, said that all the Jarrar family members suffered heavy fractures and bruises, but they are currently on the road to recovery. The Jarrars’ other daughters Bissan, aged nine, and Yara, 12, have fractured hands and ribs. The boy, Mohammed, six, is still in the ICU with multiple hip and pelvic fractures.
He also suffered grave internal injuries and is being closely monitored. Their mother, also with multiple fractures, suffered an aneurysm and injuries to her face.
Thanks to Al Ain people
Even in this terrible time, the griefstricken Jarrar said he was grateful and thankful to the people of Al Ain and the UAE leaders, who stood by them in their hour of sorrow.
Lt-Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, had paid his condolences for Dana’s death on Twitter.
He’d also shared a short clip of the thousands of Al Ain residents attending her funeral.
Jarrar also thanked the staff and students of UAE University and Al Dhafra Private Schools, where his wife is a Physics teacher. “So many people we don’t know have also visited us in hospital and this has given us hope.”
Two of Jarrar’s colleagues, visiting the family in hospital, said the professor is a kind man, widely known for his helpful nature and good deeds. This is why thousands attended the funeral and stood by the family in their time of tragedy, they stated.