Goodbye, Kerry Rome.

As the family of the 33-year-old British expat who was killed last month while crossing a Doha road prepares to say goodbye to their loved one, questions over why she died remain.

Rome was killed instantly after being struck by a motorcycle late one night while crossing a road in West Bay. The unlicensed driver who hit her was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to local media reports.

Shortly after her death, Rome’s mother and stepfather flew to Qatar to collect her body, also attending a memorial service held by employer Al Jazeera English.

“She loved people, especially children. She traveled all over the world but wherever she went, she would mix with the locals. She was always happy and had a smile on her face,“ Rome’s mother, Margaret Dench, told Stamford Mercury.

Deadly roads

Rome, a newlywed who moved to Qatar last October, is one of a half dozen pedestrians who have been killed or severely injured in Doha in the past few weeks.

Just over the weekend, there were reports of a man being hit by a car and suffering a severe head injury while crossing the road to reach City Center mall.

Media and police reports often paint pedestrians as “careless,” but reckless drivers and Qatar’s lack of sidewalks also play a role.

The country has been talking about building pedestrian bridges to fix the problem, but for Rome’s family, any actions taken to improve road safety here will already be too late.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo courtesy of Stamford Mercury