SHAH ALAM, Feb 19 — A taxi driver was left dazed and confused after his car was struck by a reversing fire engine, causing it to spin 180 degrees at the height of the Sri Maha Mariamman temple riots in Subang Jaya last November.
K. Arumugam, a 66-year-old resident of Shah Alam, told the inquest into the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kasim, that the impact from the collision had left him in a state of shock and unable to react to his surroundings during the incident last November.
“The fire engine reversed and knocked the EMRS (Emergency Medical Response Services) van out of the way before reversing into my Proton Exora,” he said when questioned by Deputy Public Prosecutor Zhafran Rahim Hamzah.
“My attention at that time was only focused on the fire engine approaching me, so I did not notice anything else,” he replied when asked if anyone had gotten out from the fire engine following the collision.
Arumugam explained how his car and the fire truck ended up in a back-to-back position, the resulting impact causing his car to rotate and end up facing the opposite direction.
He said he sat in his dented vehicle for about 20 minutes before being helped out by bystanders after his door was jammed shut from the collision.
“After that I felt panicked and in shock, and was dizzy from the impact, so I was not sure what was going on around me until a group of people came to help me get out of my car,” he told the inquest presided over by Coroner Rofiah Mohamad Mansor.
Arumugam said he did not see any fire truck or EMRS van in the vicinity after getting out of his car, nor did he see anyone carrying an injured uniformed personnel.
Also present were Mohd Kamaruzaman A.Wahab, Syazlin Mansor, and Mohd Tajudin Abd Razak, lawyers representing Muhammad Adib’s family.
Arumugam said after that, he was approached by a tow truck driver asking him to remove his vehicle, which was now obstructing traffic.
Later, he and the tow truck driver lodged a police report on the incident at the USJ8 police station, before he headed home.
Witnesses before this had explained during the inquest how the fire truck had backed up after being attacked by hordes of people when they arrived at the riots.
Arumugam, however, told the court he had very limited recollection of the incidents following his collision with the fire truck, saying he was traumatised and had only regained composure after being assisted by the bystanders.
The inquest will resume on Thursday at 10.30am, with the 12th witness expected to take the stand.
