(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) A renowned Emirati plastic surgeon has died in circumstances involving two of his main passions. Dr Ali Al Numeiri, the first Emirati plastic surgeon, was killed in the wee hours of Friday morning in a traffic accident in Dubai.
A passionate motorcyclist who was a founding member of an Emirati biker group, Dr Al Numeiri was hit by a car right as he left work at the Gulf Specialty Hospital near Deira City Center on his motorbike, in a smash that killed him instantly.
Dr Al Numeiri was riding his favourite motorbike, according to Major General Engineer Mohammad Saif Al Zafeen, Director of the General Department of Traffic of Dubai Police.
Describing how the accident happened, Al Zafeen said Dr Al Numeiri was riding his motorbike towards the Floating Bridge. He was startled by a car, driven by an Indian man who had jumped the red light, that crashed into the surgeon's motorbike. As a consequence, the high-profile doctor was tossed high into the air before landing on his head. He died on the spot.
Dr Al Numeiri was a consultant doctor of plastic surgery, serving as vice-chairman of the Arab Medical Union.
He was also a consultant of plastic surgery and former head of the Burns Section at Rashid Hospital.
Dr Al Numeiri, a founding member of biker group 'Tigers of the UAE', had been riding motorbikes for over 40 years and was a staunch advocate for motorcyclists.
Dr Al Numeiri said in recent interviews that he prefered riding motorbikes, especially during traffic jams. "At times, when I come across traffic jams on Shaikh Zayed Road while driving from Jumairah where I'm living heading to Deira, I drive back home and wear the riding clothes and take my motorbike."
"It takes me 15 minutes to reach Deira on a motorbike, against one hour driving a car during the rush hour," he added.
Dr Al Numeiri was always calling upon authorities in Dubai, such as the Roads and Transport Authority, to promote the use of motorbikes to cut down traffic jams by offering free parking and exempting bikers form Salik tollgate fees.
He used to say that a bike was a successful means of transport to curb road jams especially at the peak hours.
Dr Al Numeiri had done a study on the vehicular traffic on Shaikh Zayed Road when he found out that about 84 per cent of cars piled on the road were occupied only by the driver, and those motorists could use bikes if special lanes had been set aside for their exclusive use.
