While accidents do happen, they are definitely avoidable. Negligence and reckless driving are deadly combos, and unfortunately, it has recently caused the death of an unborn child, while the mother suffered a serious injury.
The Twitter page has recently shared dashcam footage of the accident showing a lorry overloaded with white ceiling material crashing into vehicles in the opposite lane. The accident took place on 29 October at the East Highway near Gerik, but the dashcam footage has recently surfaced on social media.
Sedih baca luahan hati mangsa kemalangan dekat Grik. Driver lori jenis bodoh bangang kat selekoh bawak laju. pic.twitter.com/a0EGeRsrP9
— ISU SEMASA VIRAL (@isusemasaviral) December 12, 2022
The company of the lorry, UAC Berhad released a statement last night (December 13) to express their condolences to the victims, and assure the people that they are willing to give their full cooperation to the authorities who are investigating the matter.
“We are conducting an internal review of the devastating accident, an exceptional case of the 60-year histroy of our establishment.”
UAC Berhad also said that they will ensure tighter guidelines and procedures to prevent history from repeating itself again.
Posted by UAC Berhad on Monday, December 12, 2022
However, many Malaysians are not fond of the time taken for the company to respond to the matter, in which many of them thought that it was a little too late to release a statement.
Just yesterday, transport minister Anthony Loke said that his ministry has temporarily suspended the permit of the lorry driver following the collision. Anthony also directed the Road Transport Department Malaysia and Land Public Transport Agency to conduct an audit on the company’s fleet of lorries, as revealed via his Facebook account.
“I will not compromise with anyone or any companies that endanger the road users,” Anthony said.
According to a report by New Straits Times, PDRM has detained the 47-year-old lorry driver at a roadblock in Batu Melintang, Jeli, Kelantan before being transferred to the Gerik district police headquarters for investigation.
The driver of the car was unharmed, but his wife, who was in the passenger seat suffered serious internal injuries and was taken to Hospital Tanah Merah in Kelantan for treatment. Three other vehicles were also involved in the accident, but the victims suffered minor injuries.
We hope that serious action will be taken against the responsible parties. The road is perhaps one of the most dangerous places as accidents can happen anytime without a warning, so as drivers, we should always be careful and alert to our surroundings. Our condolences and prayers go to the family of the victims who lost their firstborn.
