
When Rabab El-Meligy picked up her daughters Dania and Haya from summer school and brought them home, she had no idea that this would be the last time she hugged Dania while she listened to her innocently share stories about her day. Only 10 minutes after they had got in the car to drive from Fifth Settlement to Zahraa El-Maadi, it was crushed under the tires of a truck operated by a driver under the influence of drugs.
The dramatic accident took place on Egyptâs most dangerous highway, the Ring Road, earlier in August. When El-Meligy was heading home, she found a truck horizontally crossing the road. In an attempt to avoid it, she slowed her car only to be run over by another speeding truck coming from behind that failed to slow down.
After the crash, the truck drove in reverse as the driver wanted to escape, leading El-Meligyâs car into another strong clash with the stopped horizontal lorry.

(Photo from Facebook)
After her car turned to paste, the truck driver fled, leaving Dania dead and her mother and sister in critical condition.
Soon after the incident, El-Meligy began to recover. She started an online campaign seeking to change the traffic law in Egypt through the power of social media.
âTell my story and spread it as much as possible. I donât want another mother to lose any of her children. No family should go through what weâre going through or feel the heartache that we do,â El-Meligy posted on her Facebook account while telling the story.
The published picture of the car, which can no longer be recognised or identified as a four-wheel vehicle, alongside pictures of Daniaâs pure smile and the written story, caused a social media uproar among users.
âMy daughter died due to a reckless truck driver. And there could have be dozens of others dead and injured if not for Godâs mercy,â Rabab said in her post.
The post was the start of an online campaign seeking to make a real difference on the ground regarding car accidents caused by trucks. Over 37,000 people shared the post with the hashtag, demanding action for the prevention of trucks to use highways during traffic hours.
People showed support by reposting the hashtag, writing about the incident, and spreading news of accidents that take place every day without anyone noticing.
El-Meligy started collecting data about similar accidents. She also reposts stories about âunknown catastrophesâ that leave childrenâs deaths behind.
âI donât want anything from anyone or from the government. I just want to save other childrenâs lives and prevent mothers from feeling what I am suffering from now,â she stated.
While publishing othersâ stories of lorry accidents, Rabab showed the high rates of such accidents on the highways, and most of them have one thing in common: the driver gets away and heâs never jailed.
Acting upon the social media uproar, lawyer Samir Sabry filed a case against the prime minster and the minsters of transportation, interior, and finance requesting them to issue laws to âstop bloodshed on the roadsâ.
In his case, Sabry demanded the government issue a law that withdraws the licences of heavy truck drivers in cases of using roads outside of a specific time frame or during traffic hours.
âIâm a bereaved mother, but Iâm also a mother that wonât let go of her daughterâs right. I might not be able to walk now, but I will never get tired of demanding Daniaâs right. I know this wonât bring her back, but at least it would save othersâ lives,â she concluded.