Dubai: Two motorists — a man and a woman — lost their appeals on Tuesday after a court found them jointly liable for the death of a man’s daughter, pregnant wife and her five-month-old foetus following a traffic accident.

The 37-year-old Gulf national woman was travelling at 120km/h when she rammed into a vehicle driven by the 34-year-old Asian man, who was driving slower than 60km/h on Emirates Road in December.

The accident led to the demise of the man’s daughter and pregnant wife [and her foetus].

In May, the Dubai Traffic Misdemeanours Court fined the woman Dh10,000 and the man Dh6,000 and ordered them to pay Dh252,000 and Dh168,000, their respective shares in blood money, to the victims’ successors [the male defendant]. Their driving licences were also suspended for three months each.

The defendants appealed their primary rulings and sought to have their punishments reduced on grounds of leniency.

On Tuesday, the appellate court rejected the defendants’ appeals and upheld the primary ruling, Prosecutor General Salah Bu Farousha, Head of Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution (TPP), told Gulf News.

“The two appeals were dismissed and the primary ruling has been confirmed … this is a very important judgement,” Bu Farousha said.

The accident happened last December in Al Rashidiya area when the 37-year-old woman failed to keep a safe distance between her speeding car and the man’s slow vehicle.

The man’s wife, her foetus and their daughter died in the accident.

“The accident was horrific enough to cause the death of a pregnant mother and her two-year-old daughter … it was the second accident of its kind since 2009. Women in the third trimester of pregnancy are advised to avoid driving as much as possible or to sit in the back seat which is spacious,” Bu Farousha said earlier.

According to Tuesday’s ruling, presiding judge Rashid Mohammad found the man partly responsible for the three deaths. The decision to have their licences suspended for three months was also upheld.

“The Gulf national woman failed to keep a safe distance between her car and the other defendant who drove slower than usual. The woman was held 60 per cent responsible and the man was found 40 per cent responsible. As per Sharia, a person has to pay 10 per cent of blood money for accidentally killing a foetus [blood money amounts to Dh200,000 in UAE]. All laws have been made to protect road users. We constantly try to protect all road users and also foetuses, who have a right to live and the law protects that right. Pregnant women, who are about to deliver, should protect their and their foetuses’ lives and avoid driving as much as possible except in emergencies,” said TPP’s Head.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.