Fate took my daughter away, says father of Oman road accident victim

Muscat: “We believe in fate. We can’t go against fate.”
Read here: Indian schoolgirl dies in Oman after car hits camel
Tahir Chaliakandy, the grieving father of the 15-year-old schoolgirl, who died on Monday after her family car struck a camel, says he cannot say whether wearing a seatbelt would have saved his daughter’s life. His daughter Shehariz was thrown from the family Land Cruiser after the vehicle struck a camel and rolled on Monday evening. Four other members of the extended family escaped serious injury.
Also read: Wear your seat belts, road safety experts warn after fatal crash in Oman
Shehariz, 15, was buried in Salalah yesterday and family members say a large number of people gathered to pay their respects.
Teachers at her school, Indian School Salalah, who described her as a “bright pupil,” organised condolence prayers at the school premises on Wednesday. “The school was closed on Tuesday following news of the accident,” Nobin M.G., administrative officer of Indian School Salalah, said.
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Chaliakandy told the Times of Oman: “People sitting in the back don’t wear seat belts, normally. I can’t say if the accident could’ve been avoided if she was wearing the seat belt.
“My child was sitting behind and there were five others in the car. Shehariz, Nasir (her cousin), and her younger brother were sitting in the back.
“Out of the three people sitting behind, nothing happened to the other two, except my daughter. Everybody came out of the car and only my child died,” he said.
The father and another cousin were sitting in the front of the vehicle when her family’s car struck a stray camel at Jalan Bani Bu Ali.
Shehariz’s cousin, Nasir, who was sitting beside her, said: “The car skidded and then toppled. There was a handle, so we held on to it when the accident happened.”