Parents forgive driver after son's death in UAE, say 'nothing will bring him back'

It was in 2015 when the lifeless body of a Syrian toddler, washed up on the shores of Turkey, sent shockwaves worldwide — his name was Alan Kurdi. The image affected Dubai resident Sherafudheen so deeply that, when his son was born almost 10 years later, he named him Alan. Last week, Alan was killed in a freak accident in Sharjah's Muweilah area when he was hit by a driver in a sandy parking lot.

"We named him Alan Rumi after Alan Kurdi and the mystic poet Rumi," said Sherafudheen, speaking to Khaleej Times from India. "He was the light of our life, but we were only destined to have him for a short time."

The family said they forgive the driver, also an Indian expat, who hit the boy and gave a written statement to Sharjah police saying they have no complaints against him.

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“He messaged me last night to check on me,” said Sherafudheen. “He was released from lock-up, but his passport was retained as a guarantee on the day of the accident, when we didn't file complaints. He is now awaiting some court paperwork. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was an unfortunate incident in which there were lapses of attention from all sides. Punishing the driver will not bring back our son. We are now trying to move on."

Alan, who was one year and nine months, was buried in Dubai the day after the accident, and the family returned to India on the same day. He was the couple's only child, born after six years of marriage.

How the accident took place

Sherafudheen’s wife and son were visiting the UAE when the tragedy occurred. Working as a sales professional in charge of orders and collections, he spent much of his time driving around Dubai. “Usually, I start work in the morning and finish my first shift before heading home for lunch,” he said. “After lunch, I took them with me wherever I visited. It helped us spend a lot of time together.”

On that fateful day, the family’s routine was disrupted. “I had to go into the office and was delayed,” he recalled. “So, I told them to have lunch without me and that we would go out after work. I wrapped up work in DIP and Al Quoz and was heading home when I got the call.”

Sherafudheen said the accident happened when his wife took Alan down from the apartment to dispose of garbage. "The waste bin is at one end of the sandy parking area," he said. "There is also a footpath where kids play. One of our neighbours came down with their son, who was the same age as Alan. The boys were playing together when they spotted a cat and ran after it.

"My wife called out to stop them. The other boy stopped, but when my son turned around and saw my wife running after him, he thought she was playing with him. He squealed with laughter and ran full speed into the incoming car. The driver was taking his car out of the parking lot to pick up his wife. It was a terrible accident that was nobody’s fault."

However, Sherafudheen hopes that by sharing his story, more parents and drivers will be vigilant. “It was a momentary lapse of attention that brought our whole world crashing down,” he said. “I hope people pay more attention to the roads.”

Shattered dreams

When he brought his family to the UAE, Sherafudheen had many plans. “We had intended to go for Umrah in Saudi Arabia during the last ten days of Ramadan,” he said. “After that, we had plans to visit India for Eid Al Fitr.”

He said the family planned to settle in the UAE after the Eid holidays. "My company was ready to give me a family visa," he said. "I also asked to be assigned to Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah so we could live there, which would have been more affordable. We had all these plans, but then God had other plans for us. We're trusting Him and trying to move forward."

Sherafudheen said the family plans to return to the UAE soon. "We have accepted that Alan is no longer with us," he said. "We're getting support, and in the last two days, both of us have been able to sleep. Before that, it was hard to rest, and my wife had severe headaches. Once we recover, I want to bring her with me to Dubai. I don’t want to leave her alone here. That’s the plan for now."