Karpal Singh passed away in an accident

KAMPAR: Bukit Gelugor MP and veteran DAP leader Karpal Singh was killed when the car he was travelling in collided with a five-tonne lorry near Gua Tempurung on the North South Expressway here early Thursday.

The impact of the crash at about 1am killed the prominent lawyer and his assistant, C Michael, on the spot. Karpal's son, Ramkarpal, and the car's driver, C Selvam, were injured.

Karpal's Indonesian domestic helper was also injured and is in critical condition.

He was on his way to Penang to attend a court case later in the day.

In 2005, Karpal was involved in an accident which left him paralysed and wheelchair-bound. He was returning to his home in Penang when a car hit his taxi at the rear.

Karpal graduated from University of Singapore and started his law practice before becoming a DAP politician in 1978.

He recently stepped down as DAP chairman pending his appeal against a sedition charge of uttering seditious words against the Sultan of Perak in 2009.

Man burnt in car accident

JOHOR BARU: A driver was burnt to death after his car caught fire when it was hit by another car which lost control and swerved into his lane.

The Proton Wira driven by Liew Wei Liang (pic), 20, was split into two during the incident on Sunday.

Liew, a cook who resides in Masai here, was on his way to the city centre via Permas at around 9.30pm when a woman driver who was in a Toyota Vios lost control of her car and swerved into the opposite lane. He couldn’t stop in time and crashed into her car.

Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Sulaiman Salleh said that Liew had died on the spot.

He said that the woman was sent to the Regency Specialist Hospital as she suffered from an injured back due to the impact, while Liew’s body was sent to Hospital Sultan Ismail.

He added that the woman was detained by police at the hospital for investigations into the case.

Permas

19 hurt after bus lands on its side

NIBONG TEBAL: A bus ferrying 19 passengers, including two bus drivers, landed on its side after an accident with a pick-up truck at the North-South Expressway near Jawi.

Two passengers were rushed to the Seberang Jaya Hospital with fractured limbs after being trapped in the wreckage.

Several others received outpatient treatment at the Sungai Bakap Hospital. Most of them escaped unhurt during the 9.44pm incident on Saturday at KM164 of the expressway.

The driver of the pick-up truck, who was involved in the collision, fled the scene.

South Seberang Perai OCPD Supt Shafien Mamat said the bus had departed from Genting Highlands and was heading to Alor Setar.

He said the bus driver was trying to avoid the pick-up truck after it overtook him using the right lane before suddenly switching to the left lane.

“The bus driver lost control and crashed into the truck before his vehicle fell sideways into a drain,” he said, adding that they would wait for the bus driver to get better before recording his statement.

Supt Shafien said police were now looking for a man, in his 40s, to assist in investigations.

“Until now, we have yet to locate the other driver nor has he lodged a police report about the accident,” he said.

The case was being investigated as reckless driving under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act.

One of the passengers, Mohd Fikri Azman, 23, said he was sleeping at the time and was abruptly thrown forward due to the impact.

“It was really chaotic with passengers breaking windows to crawl out.

“Other motorists stopped their vehicles to assist us,” said Mohd Fikri, who works in Genting Highlands.

KM164, North-South HIghway, Malaysia