WHILE police have taken action against the driver of a Perodua Kembara for obstructing an ambulance in Seri Aman, Sarawak, the driver’s child has since apologised and issued an explanation.
The patient who was in the ambulance at the time of the incident, Morgan Ak Alban, died before he reached the hospital and his wife, Annie Andrew, took to Facebook to confirm the demise of her husband.
The driver’s child then reached out to Andrew to apologise for the obstruction and also tell of her father’s hearing impairment.
Last Friday, around 3pm, the video of the incident went viral on social media. The clip showed the Kembara not giving way to the ambulance transporting a patient to the Sri Aman Hospital.
A day after the incident, the Investigation and Traffic Enforcement division of the Sri Aman district police headquarters took action to identify the vehicle and its driver.
“I am the child of the Kembara driver QSE5666 which went viral and on behalf of my family, we would like to sincerely apologise,” she said while offering her condolences.
The child explained that their father did not intentionally block the ambulance but did not hear the siren as he had a hearing impairment, and he moved the vehicle as soon as he saw the ambulance behind.
The child also shared a report by a specialist in 2017 that confirmed the father had chronic hearing impairment.
Andrew accepted the apology but appealed to the family concerned to ensure the father does not drive anymore and if he has to, ensure he uses a hearing aid.
“This can be very dangerous, not only because of this incident, but many other things can happen,” she said.
Following this incident, netizens also shared their encounters where public and even VIP vehicles had not given way to ambulances. – The Vibes, January 8, 2023
