Chua's death a massive blow to national hockey

Thursday August 1, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team was dealt with a massive blow when their most senior player, Chua Boon Huat, died from a fatal car accident on Thursday .

Chua, born May 3, 1980 in Malacca, capped 321 times for the country, surpassing that of Nor Saiful Zaini and his best friend S. Kuhan.

Chua was killed when his Proton Perdana V6 car collided with a lorry that was watering plants on the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) at about 2.30am near the Kelana Jaya LRT station.

Chua was in training with the national team to prepare for the Asia Cup which will be held in Ipoh from Aug 24-Sept 1.

He has played in all major international hockey tournaments and has also taken to coaching junior teams (Sukma Pahang).

Chua made his national team debut as a 17-year-old under Paul Lissek in the 1998 Commonwealth Games and has played in  competitions such as the World Cup, Olympics, Champions Trophy, Asian Games and Asia Cup.

He captained the 2001 National Junior team which featured in the Junior World Cup in Hobart.

After 12 years as a regular in the national team, Chua was dropped from the squad in 2009. 

But he was back in the fray last year when new coach Paul Revington picked him for the training squad.

He made it into the final team and has played in all tournaments under the South African coach. Chua's last assignment was the FIH World Hockey League in Johor Baru last month.

At club level he was member of the KL Hockey Club and won the Malaysia Hockey League (league and overall) double titles for the last three years.

His services as a player with leadership qualities will be missed as he is known to help youngsters in the team.

5 killed in road collision

31 July 2013

KULAI JAYA: Five passengers were killed and one badly injured when the multi-purpose vehicle they were travelling in was involved in an accident at Km21, Jalan Johor-Baru-Ayer Hitam at 2am this morning.

Fire and rescue team members check on the vehicle that was involved in road crash at Km21, Jalan Johor-Baru-Ayer Hitam.

Two brothers die in collision with bus and car

Thursday July 25, 2013

KUANTAN: Two siblings were killed after the car they were travelling in was involved in an accident with an excursion bus along the Kuantan bypass near the court complex here.

Arif Akmal Abdul Razak, 22, and brother Aniq Ihsan, 16, died on the spot due to serious head and body injuries during the 10.30am incident yesterday.

Two other siblings, Alif Imran, 25, who was the driver, and Nur Anissa Farahanim, 21, were warded at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital with serious injuries.

OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Jasmani Yusoff said the collision happened when a car came out from a junction and suddenly changed lanes.

“Alif Imran could not avoid the car and hit it from behind. The excursion bus was behind Alif Imran’s car and its driver also could not brake in time before ramming it.

ACP Mohd Jasmani said the case was being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act for reckless driving resulting in death.

It is learnt that the four siblings from Kampung Teluk Mahang, Gambang, were on their way to the International Islamic University branch campus in Indera Mahkota to start their food catering business.

Trying times for parents of child accident victim

Thursday July 18, 2013

ALOR SETAR: Five-year-old Icelyn Thor, who sustained serious facial injuries after being knocked down by a motorcycle, will undergo plastic surgery once her parents have saved enough money for the procedure.

Her mother Chua Li Li, 24, who works as a sales assistant, said she and her foundry worker husband would set aside part of their salaries for their daughter’s surgery.

They did not want her to be reminded of the incident, she said.

“We want her to grow up to become a pretty girl and not let the injuries affect her life,” said Chua.

“She is the middle child, and has two brothers,” she added.

“It is heart breaking to see her like that.

“She had a lot of bad dreams when she was warded at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital from June 29 to July 8,” said Chua at her home in Jalan Lencong Barat yesterday.

Thor was crossing the road to return to her home from a mini market at 6pm on June 29 when a motorcycle, ridden by a 13-year-old boy, knocked her down.

The boy fled on foot, but was later caught seeking treatment at a clinic.

Thor was rushed to the hospital by her grandparents who came out from a neighbour’s house upon hearing the commotion.

According to Chua, other than facial injuries, her daughter also fractured her left leg.

“The doctor has instructed that she does not walk for three weeks,” she said.

Thor was in a happy mood when met at home.

She was seen applying lipstick and kept looking at her facial scars in a mirror.

“The boy’s mother had apologised over the incident but we will still be filing a legal suit against the family,” said Chua, adding that Thor was haunted by the accident.

“She has been pestering me to delete the pictures of the accident that I’ve stored in my cellphone.”

Miros: Number of deaths is high due to careless driving

PETALING JAYA: Careless driving tops the list of non-aggressive driving offences, said the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research.

According to Miros research fellow Karen Goonting, police attributed 475 cases of careless driving in 2011 as the cause of accidents that resulted in 182 deaths, 88 serious injuries and 205 minor injuries.

“It’s alarming that the number of deaths is high for careless driving because they are much more preventable than aggressive driving,” said Goonting.

She added that aggressive driving – taking corners dangerously, speeding and tailgating – accounted for up to 30% of crashes.

Miros also said that distracted driving could contribute to careless driving, with one fairly common example being the use of mobile phones while driving.

Using mobile phone, fiddling with the GPS or in-car entertainment system were examples of technology-related distracted driving.

Goonting said other types of distractions were vehicle occupant-related and personal-related, such as eating, drinking or grooming while on the road.

She cited a 2006 study in the United States that found that drivers had a four times greater risk of crashing when they use their mobile phone, and the probability went up to 23 times if they text.

“Miros experiments found that distracted drivers had a 30% slower mental processing time and a 23% slower reaction time,” said Goonting, who pointed out that reading or sending an SMS would require drivers to take their eyes off the road for at least two seconds, or probably more – an act she likened to driving the length of a football field at 88.5kph blindfolded.

Goonting added that studies also found drivers who used mobile phones drifted out of their lanes, missed exits, knocked down pedestrians and ran red lights.

“Other than falling asleep while driving, texting while driving is probably the most dangerous in-car activity for a driver,” she said.

The typical Malaysian driver is selfish and delusional

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian drivers have two things on their mind when it comes to driving – “it is always me first” and “accidents won’t happen to me”.

According to Road Safety Depart­ment director-general Datuk Dr Tam Weng Wah, Malaysian drivers still have a long way to go when it comes to being courteous.

“The average Malaysian driver always believes that he or she comes first and usually refuses to give way to others.

“The other thing drivers believe is that accidents will always happen to somebody else but not themselves,” he told The Star.

Tam lamented that the average Malaysian driver still had lots of room for improvement.

“There is a need for social transformation. We can have nice roads but it wouldn’t mean anything if people still have Third-World mentality,” he said.

One such manifestation of the lackadaisical attitude towards safety is the oft-seen overloading of motorcycle pillion riders, with some parents routinely sandwiching young children and sometimes even babies between them on their motorcycles.

According to the 2011 road accident statistics compiled by the police, 63 accidents occurred due to overloading of pillion riders on motorcycles, resulting in six deaths, while 21 suffered serious injuries.

In terms of deaths, this was slightly up from the four fatalities recorded in 2010.

Under the Road Transport Act, riders who carry more than one pillion rider can be fined up to RM2,000 or jailed for a maximum of six months upon the first conviction.

“The department will educate motorcyclists on the dangers of having too many pillion riders on a motorcycle.

“Even though some may not have a car, it is not an excuse for them to endanger the lives of others by overloading their motorcycles,” Tam said.

In a bid to inculcate good habits on the road, the department will look into educating kindergarten children on the importance of road safety via games and activities.

“Children can be a good ambassador for road safety. They may even be able to point out their parents’ mistakes if they are educated on road safety,” he said.

Tam said the department was working with Toyota on a road safety programme involving young children.

Three escape death after lorry plunges into ravine

July 12, 2013

MARANG: Three men escaped death after a trailer lorry laden with retail goods crashed into a 30-metre deep ravine and overturned in Kampung Pengkalan Kuin here.

Driver Mohd Shahrizan Ismail, 29, was unhurt while attendants Mohd Nazrin Yusoff, 22, and Mohd Reduan Abdul Wahab, 19, were slightly injured in the 11.30am incident yesterday.

Mohd Shahrizan said he was trying to restart the lorry after checking on a faulty battery when the 26-tonne vehicle rolled on for about 100m and plunged into the ravine.

Mohd Nazrin and Mohd Reduan were arranging goods at the back of the lorry when the incident happened. Mohd Nazrin said he and Mohd Reduan held on to the lorry as it crashed through the trees.

Mohd Shahrizan’s elder sister, Subayah, 35, who watched the lorry roll down the ravine near their house, sought help from villagers who came with the Marang fire and rescue department’s personnel.

In Kangar, a car knocked down two pupils on a bicycle in Jalan Mata Ayer, killing one of them and seriously injuring the other.

Kindergarten pupil Nur Aleya Batrisha Mashrul Nusairi, six, was killed while her elder sister Nur Fatin Nabila, 10, was seriously injured in the 7.10am accident, Arau police chief Supt Mohd Nadzri Hussin said.

He added the driver had been detained for investigation.

The girls’ father Mashrul Nusairi Mohd Noor, 39, said he usually sends Nur Aleya Batrisha to the kindergarten.

However, she had opted to ride pillion on her sister’s bicycle yesterday. — Bernama

HK tourists hurt in train vs cars crash in KK Read more: HK tourists hurt in train vs cars crash in KK

19 June 2013

KOTA KINABALU: A family of four from Hong Kong was injured after their rental car was rammed by a Sabah Railway train at a crossroad near Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 1 today.

In the 5.30pm incident, the family travelling in a Hyundai Accent car was heading towards the airport from Jalan Lintas when they failed to stop at the crossing.

 

The train carrying 200 passengers heading towards Beaufort, hit the car causing it to spin several times before hitting a Perodua Myvi carrying three passengers, including a toddler.

 

The two women and two men were sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

 

It is learnt that the car driver identified as Lok Wing Tak Eddie, 50, is seriously injured.

 

Also injured were the three people and the toddler the Perodua Myvi.

 

Deputy Chief Minister and Infrastructure Development Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan who was at the scene said the train carrying 200 passengers was travelling towards Beaufort.

 

"I was informed that one gate was not functioning and a worker from the Sabah State Railway Department had signalled all the vehicles to stop.

 

"According to the worker and the train driver, all the car drivers had stopped their car except for one prompting the train driver to pull the emergency break," he said.

 

Pairin said the gate had not been functioning for six months and that the railway department was waiting for spare parts to repair the machine.

 

He suggested the department to use temporary measures including a warning signboard to avoid similar incident in future.

 

"This accident occured unexpectedly and we do not want this to happen. I advise road users to be careful and pay attention to the warning signal."

 

Meanwhile, city police chief Assistant Commissioner Police Jauteh Dikun confirmed that the four passengers were tourists and were heading to the airport to catch a flight.

 

This is the second incident involving a train in less than two years.

 

On Oct 31, 2011, a Sabah Railway train collided with an oil tanker at Jalan Kota Kinabalu-Petagas, injuring 12 passengers including a pregnant woman.

Hit-and-run driver surrenders

 July 10, 2013 

PETALING JAYA: The driver of the car involved in the hit-and-run accident of three women runners during a charity event in Bandar Utama has surrendered to the police.

Petaling Jaya deputy OCPD Supt Fadil Marsus said the 29-year-old landscaping designer from Taiping lodged a report at the traffic police station here at 1pm yesterday.

He was taken into custody after that.

“In his report, the driver stated that he did not stop that day because he was afraid he would be assaulted by the crowd. After being advised by his friend, he finally turned himself in,” said Supt Fadil.

The suspect has been remanded for investigations under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless driving.

On Sunday, three women runners were injured when they were hit by a red Proton Iswara in the event organised by ntv7.

The victims – Lim Lee Ling, 43, Lee Shiau Foon, 33, and Lee Su San, 24 – were injured when the car rammed into them after it made a U-turn at 8am.

Eyewitnesses had said that the driver did not stop but drove away.

St John’s Ambulance personnel responded to the accident and managed to stabilise the injured before they were brought to the medical tent.

They were later sent to the University Malaya Medical Centre and discharged on the same day.

According to police, traffic wardens were present at the junction at KM14 of the route where the accident occurred.

Woman killed in four-vehicle pile-up

 July 10, 2013

JOHOR BARU: A 33-year-old woman died after she was involved in a four vehicle pile-up which included two trailers and a garbage truck along KM6 of the North-South Expressway.

The victim, who drove a Toyota Camry, was identified as Goh Koon Cheh.

The incident occurred at around 9.15pm on Monday near the Setia Tropika exit here, said Johor Baru (North) OCPD Asst Comm Ruslan Hassan.

He said initial investigations showed that the first trailer, heading north, hit the second trailer from behind and the impact caused the latter to hit the garbage truck in front of it.

“The first trailer then went out of control before hitting a divider and ending up on the opposite lane.

“The victim was in the Toyota Camry heading south.

“The vehicle (she was in) could not stop in time and it collided with the trailer that veered onto the lane,” he said.

Asst Comm Ruslan said four other passengers in the car sustained serious injuries and had been sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital for medical treatment.

He said the case was being investigated under the Road Transport Act and he urged those with information to contact the state police hotline at 07-2212999.

Three people killed in separate road accidents

Thursday May 23, 2013 MYT 9:21:59 AM

KUANTAN: Three people were killed in three separate accidents in Pa­­hang.

All three incidents happened on Tuesday.

In the first case, Ong Kim Tian, 77, lost control of her car and crashed into a 10m deep ditch at a T-junction in the Air Putih housing estate.

Police said Ong died at the scene in the 8.45pm accident.

It was raining heavily at that time.

In another accident in Maran, Toh Pat Low, 57, was riding in a jeep when the vehicle crashed into the rear of a lorry, which had been involved in an accident at KM161 of the East Coast Express­way.

She died at 9.48am, about three hours after the accident, at Temer­­-loh Hospital.

The driver of the jeep was seriously injured.

In the last incident, Ng Mun Hing, 28, was run over by a lorry after his motor­cycle grazed the side of the vehicle, causing him to fall off.

The driver of the lorry had slowed down after seeing a pedestrian on the left side of the road at KM353 of Jalan Raub-Lipis.

Ng died at the scene in the 12.55pm incident.

5 killed in motorcycles-car crash at Federal Highway

Sun, Apr 21st, 2013

SHAH ALAM: Five people were killed following a freak accident along KM10.1 of the Federal Highway early Sunday.

Police sources confirmed the accident adding that the dead have been identified as M. Kalaychelven, 50, Mohamad Faridzuan Mohamad Ali, 21, Amirul Faiq Zainuddin, 20, and Shahrul Farid Izzat Shamsuddin Shah, 21.

The accident occurred at around 3.30am on Sunday shortly after a group of motorcyclist stopped by the road shoulder following the breakdown of one of their machines.

According to police sources they stopped at the road shoulder of the highway heading towards Klang, when a Honda City lost control and rammed into two of the motorcyclist.

The driver of the Honda City and the two motorcyclists were killed instantly.

Following the initial accident, A BMW car stopped at the scene to help the victims of the accident.

While he and his passenger got out of the car to help the victims, another motorcyclist rammed into the BMW car.

The motorcyclist and a passenger in the BMW car were killed on the spot. The driver of the Honda City had yet to be identified.