LAWNMOWER INCIDENT VICTIM TRAUMATISED
Boy haunted by tragedy that claimed best friend’s life
“IDON’T want to look at a lawnmower machine any more,” said Mohd Farhan Reza Badrul Hesam, 13, who was injured when a blade from the machine hit the back of his head, yesterday.
The incident occurred at SMK Tuanku Abdul Rahman here.
When met at his house in Kampung Bangkahulu here yesterday, Farhan admitted that he was traumatised by the incident, which killed his best friend, Nur Afini Roslan, 14.
The Form One student, who had been discharged from Tuanku Ampuan Najihah Hospital Kuala Pilah, said the incident occurred in a split second. He only realised what had happened when he saw Nur Afini’s body lying on the field.
“We were taking a rest after training for Sports Day parade. Suddenly, I heard a loud sound like firecrackers before my head was hit by a hard object.
“When I turned around, I saw Nur Afini falling and her blood splattered on my shirt. Part of her head, which was split in two in the incident, fell right in front of me,” he said.
Farhan said he was stunned and shaken, while his other friends started to scream and panic before teachers instructed them to leave the scene.
He said he had no problem in continuing to study at the school, but he was haunted by the incident.
His mother, Zalina Mohd Noor, 48, said she only knew about the incident after a teacher called her to inquire about her son’s injury.
“I was surprised to find out that a student was killed in the incident. I was even more shocked to learn that the victim was the daughter of my best friend,” she said.
In the 10.30am incident yesterday, Nur Afini died when she was struck by a blade from the lawnmower, which split her head in two.
Abdullah, another student who was injured in the incident, said he happened to look at the machine before a small explosion occurred.
“I saw the blade flying towards us and screamed, but it happened so fast that I could not escape in time.
“I felt severe pain in my right ear and, at the same time, I saw Farhan and Nur Afini fall on the ground. Then, I realised my clothes were splattered with blood,” he said.
He said he did not realise he was injured until a friend told him. Abdullah’s father, Hazlan Harun, 51, said he accepted the tragedy as fated and urged all parties to stop pointing fingers and let the police complete their investigations.
In Tampin, the driver of the tractor, which pulled the lawnmower, was released on bail yesterday. Tampin district police chief Superintendent Hamazah Abd Razak said preliminary investigations conducted on the 26-year-old found no criminal element in the student’s death.
However, he said, further investigations would be pursued under Section 304 of the Penal Code.
He said police would work with other agencies, including the Public Works Department and the Forensics Department, to investigate the cause of the incident.
“The investigation covers a variety of angles, including to see how the blades from the lawnmower broke off. In addition, we are investigating how the blades could hit the victim, who was quite far from the machine,” he said.