A 23-YEAR-OLD motorcyclist was killed and his friend seriously injured after both were run over and dragged by a trailer while attempting to shelter from rain beneath an overhead bridge along the North-South Expressway near Sungai Petani at midnight.
The deceased, Mohd Khairul A'zami Mohd Nazeri, from Kampung Permatang Kong, Mukim Padang Hang, Alor Setar, died at the scene, while the other 23-year-old rider from the same village was taken to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) for treatment.
Kuala Muda district police chief Assistant Commissioner Hanyan Ramlan said preliminary investigations found that the two men were travelling from Alor Setar towards Sungai Petani along the left lane.
"Upon reaching the location, both are believed to have attempted to stop beneath the overhead bridge to shelter from the rain.
"While trying to avoid another motorcycle that had stopped beneath the bridge, their two Yamaha Y15ZR motorcycles sideswiped each other before colliding with the side of a trailer travelling in the same lane.
"Both riders fell beneath the middle section of the trailer, where they were run over and dragged," he said in a statement today.
Hanyan said the trailer driver escaped injury, while the deceased's body was taken to the HSAH Forensic Department for a post-mortem.
The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
He said the 40-year-old trailer driver from Bayan Lepas, Penang, was taken to the Kuala Muda District Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division for screening, which returned negative for drugs. - November 6, 2026