MANAMA, 25 December 2004 — A 36-year-old Saudi businessman from the Eastern Province was killed and his 40-year-old cousin seriously injured when their Honda Accord somersaulted on Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Highway yesterday.
Mufleh Saud Al-Khaldi was pronounced dead at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) shortly after he was brought there. He had sustained severe head injuries and internal bleeding after being ejected out of the vehicle. Rescuers discovered him on the side of the road with his head trapped under the railings. He was believed to have been driving at the time of the accident.
His cousin was found lying on the street. His condition was said to be critical, but stable, according to sources. Both men were carrying identification cards indicating that they were from Dammam, but it was not clear if they were returning to Saudi Arabia.
Traffic officials said speed was a factor in the accident and attributed the death and serious injuries to failure to wear seatbelts. “There was no damage inside the compartment of the vehicle and the airbags had worked,” said a senior traffic adviser. “Had they been wearing seatbelts they probably would have escaped serious injuries.”
This was the second serious accident involving Saudis on Bahraini streets in less than 12 hours after a Saudi passenger was trapped inside his BMW in the early morning hours injuring his leg after the car he was in rear-ended four cars at a traffic light in Seef district just outside Manama.
Three Bahraini drivers, and another Saudi driver escaped with minor injuries, while the Saudi driver of the BMW fled the scene of the accident.
