An assistant sales manager of a major UAE supermarket chain was crushed to death on Sunday night while trying to cross the busy Al Etihad Highway in front of Ansar Mall in Sharjah.

Abdul Hasik, 41-year-old assistant sales manager of KM Trading’s store in Sharjah’s Al Tawun Mall, was hit by vehicles when he tried to cross Al Etihad Road after buying grocery at Ansar Mall on the opposite side of the highway linking Dubai with Sharjah.

“He was waiting to cross the five-lane road with his friend Nabid, also an employee of KM Trading. and after waiting for quite some time, they were considering various options including hiring a taxi to cross the road to reach their accommodation. They had come to Ansar Mall in a taxi because it was a dangerous spot to cross the road. Hasik was holding Nabid’s hand. After waiting impatiently for the traffic to slowdown, he left Nabid’s hand and told him to wait and watch him bravely cross the busy road. Nabid tried to stop him but he went ahead. He could cross only two lanes while vehicles were still coming and was hit by a car in the third lane. He was hit so hard that he died on the spot,” said Moideen Kutty, manager at KM Trading.

The car, which was coming at about 140 kmph, hit him and sped away without stopping, the manager said. “We have around 25 male staff living in an accommodation there and there are strict instructions to them not to cross the road for shopping. We have regular bus service and the staff are advised to take the bus to reach Ansar Mall. After this tragic accident, we will strictly enforce this rule,” Moideen Kutty said. 

Hasik’s colleague is shattered, so are other staff living in the area, many of whom sometimes dare to cross Etihad Road at this spot.

Hasik’s body is lying in Kuwait Hospital. He is survived by wife Sabira and children Thasneem (13), Hamda (5) and Alfiya (2), who live in Tirur in Malappuram district of India’s southern state of Kerala.

Emirates 24/7 could not reach Hasik’s brother who works in Abu Dhabi. His cousin will be accompanying the body home.

As there are no pedestrian crossings or underpasses in the area, people living on the opposite side of Al Ansar shopping mall take great risks to cross Al Etihad Road for shopping for their daily needs.

As earlier reported by Emirates 24|7, several pedestrians have been run over and crushed to death by speeding vehicles in this area.

Last February, a man and a woman were hit while trying to cross the road in front of Ansar Mall. In June/July 2011, three Ethiopian women were run over by vehicles at the same spot.

As reported by Emirates 24|7, this spot has become a death trap because most of the residential buildings are on the opposite side of Ansar and Safeer malls. Since there is no underpass, over bridge or pedestrian crossing, people are forced to dash across the ever-busy Al Etihad Road at the risk of their lives.

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