KUALA LUMPUR – After a trailer rammed into a flyover still under construction along the Sg Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway (SUKE), the incident has been classified as a road accident.
Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas), the company developing the highway, in a statement today confirmed that the incident will not be treated as “an accident due to construction activities”.
“SUKE expresses its sincere condolences to all the victims and their families, and will jointly monitor the condition of those currently being treated at Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital.”
Prolintas said police are investigating the matter under Section 44(1) of the road transport act, which prohibits driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.
Yesterday, Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigations and Enforcement Department chief Zulkefly Yahya confirmed that the 40-year-old driver who caused the crash has traces of methamphetamine in his urine.
He said police will seek a remand on the driver pursuant to Section 15(1) of the dangerous drugs act.
Initial investigations revealed that the trailer, which was transporting an excavator, collided with the pedestrian bridge steel frame along the KL Middle Ring Road 2 near Desa Tun Razak in Cheras at about 6pm yesterday.
The frame then collapsed on top of a van, which was being driven from the direction of Ampang.
Two women in their 40s were crushed to death. Three others in the same vehicle suffered serious injuries, including fractures, lung-swelling and internal bleeding.
It took rescue personnel more than two hours to extricate the trapped victims. – The Vibes, March 4, 2021