KULAI, Jan 10 — A bus driver was killed, while eight passengers were injured, after the vehicle that they were travelling in became involved in an accident with a lorry and a car at Kilometre 32.5 of the North-South Expressway near here last night.
The 65-year-old bus driver, identified as Ismail Tapah, succumbed to serious head injuries.
The eight passengers on the bus had minor injuries, while the driver of the lorry and car escaped unharmed in the 9.30pm incident.
Kulai police chief Superintendent Tok Beng Yeow said initial investigations revealed that the accident occurred when a lorry travelling northbound lost control and crashed into the expressway’s centre road divider.
“Shortly after that, the bus coming from the same direction did not have time to avoid the lorry and crashed into the heavy vehicle’s rear end.
“As a result of the impact, the bus skidded and landed into the ditch on the left side of the expressway, while a car from the same direction also crashed into the lorry,” he said in a statement today.
Tok was commenting on the accident last night where the overturned lorry led to traffic congestion involving lanes in both directions along the North-South Expressway.
He added that the vehicles involved in the collision were later taken to the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (Puspakom) in Senai for inspection.
“Police have initiated investigations under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for death by reckless or dangerous driving,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kulai Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Assistant Fire Superintendent Fairuz Helmi Mohd Ali said the Johor Operations Centre received a distress call regarding the accident via the MERS999 line at 10.17pm.
Following that, he said a total of 22 firemen from the Kulai and Skudai fire stations with five fire engines were despatched to the scene.
Fairuz Helmi said the bus driver was confirmed dead at the scene by an attending medical officer.
“Firemen then acted to remove the three injured victims before sending them to the hospital for treatment.
“The body of the deceased lorry driver was handed over to the police for further action,” he said, adding that the entire operation ended at 12.42am today.
