I will write on this subject again, although my words will do no good for the Al-Zaid family. The car in which the family was traveling fell into a six-meter deep hole in a major street on which traffic is heavy day and night.
There were no barriers around the hole nor any sign to indicate anything unusual or dangerous.
One of the three passengers in the car died on the spot while the other two were taken to hospital. Their conditions were listed as serious on arrival and, sadly, one of the two died later while the other is still in hospital, but is not out of danger.
I have waited for some officials to comment about this accident or to apologize or even admit responsibility but so far, I have waited in vain.
The hospital bill for the third victim has reached over SR200,000, and as far as I know this is not the final bill. I am sure it will continue to increase and it might even reach a million riyals.
The question is who is going to pay that bill? Is it the contractor who was supposed to take precautionary measures at the construction site? Instead of putting warning signs for drivers, he left the hole open, without barriers.
The drivers who may have seen the dangerous construction site and did not report it to the authorities also have to bear responsibility.
This accident should be a lesson to us to report all project sites that are left dangerously open and to expose contractors who are continuing to dig without warning the public in any way.
We should hold the municipality, the traffic police and the governorate office responsible if they do not put an end to the negligence of contractors. Even if an accountability list is published, the question remains — who will pay the patient’s bill?
