JEDDAH — An Egyptian court yesterday found Sarah Fahd, the 27-year-old Saudi woman whose car collided with a taxi resulting in the death of two people and the injury of two others, not guilty of reckless driving.

“She was up all night awaiting the verdict,” said Mustafa Al-Ashgar, Fahd’s defense lawyer, adding that the court accepted the settlement Fahd made with the victims’ families.

Fahd, a 27-year-old mother, was charged with manslaughter following the car crash on Jan. 4 on Talat Harb Street in downtown Cairo. The crash resulted in the death of taxi driver Muhammad Hassan Sayed and an Azerbaijani passenger. Two other people were injured in the crash; one of them was left paralyzed.

Fahd had voluntarily paid 200,000 Egyptian pounds (around SR136,400) to each of the families of the dead; 100,000 pounds (SR68,200) to the man who was paralyzed and 50,000 pounds (SR34,100) to the other injured man. She also paid 150,000 Egyptian pounds (SR102,300) in compensation for the damage caused to the taxi.

“She did it out of good will,” said Al-Ashgar, adding that in such cases Egyptian law stipulates only 70,000 pounds to be given in compensation to the families of a person killed in road accident.

The victims’ families had reportedly dropped charges. However, the court still had to review the case to decide inheritance and guardianship rights.

Fahd’s case received extensive coverage in the Egyptian media. Some accused her of driving while intoxicated, a charge that was dismissed as untrue following drug and alcohol tests. She was also accused of driving at high speed through a residential area.

Al-Ashgar told Arab News that the sensational media coverage about the case created widespread negative opinion about his client. He added that the accusations were unfounded and had not even been mentioned by the police.