‘ADIB POSSIBLY SEMI-CONSCIOUS WHEN PULLED’
Adib could not fight those dragging him out of van as he was in extreme pain, likely in shock, claims pathologist
APATHOLOGIST who conducted simulations of the incident that injured late firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim told the Coroner’s Court that the firefighter could have been in a state of semiconsciousness when he was pulled and dragged out of the vehicle he was in.
Professor Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid, a retired pathologist from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, said Adib could not fight back because he was in extreme pain and likely in shock.
Answering questions by Conducting Officer Hamdan Hamzah, Dr Shahrom said this theory was based on simulations of the possibility that Adib was pulled and dragged away from the Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) van.
The simulations were conducted last month. They were carried out based on medical reports, documents from the counsel, photographs, witness statements from the inquest into Adib’s death
Hamdan: When he was being dragged (away), what condition was the victim in? Was he conscious?
Dr Shahrom: It was highly likely that when he was dragged away, he began to feel extreme pain due to broken bones at the front and back of his chest and the lungs. So he was in extreme pain. He may have been in a semi-conscious state.
Two elements could have led to this. First, he might have been in shock. Second, he might have been in extreme pain. This would have stimulated the vagus nerves and quickened his heartbeat.
Hamdan: In his semi-conscious condition, what would the victim’s reaction be?
Dr Shahrom: We all may have felt this way when we have a fever. When we are in a stupor, we feel as if we are in a daze.
Hamdan: But this would be more serious, right?
Dr Shahrom: Yes, it would be (more serious). In English, we would say that the victim probably felt like he was in “the twilight zone”.
Hamdan: But wouldn’t he have been conscious when he was pulled away?
Dr Shahrom: He could have been conscious, but he would not have struggled or fought back.
Hamdan: That means he might not have reacted?
Dr Shahrom: Yes.
The witness agreed to a suggestion by Hamdan that there would have been scratch marks and dirt on Adib’s trousers if he had been dragged away in a seated position.
He was further convinced of this possibility when he was asked to look for scratches or dirt on the trousers that Adib wore during the incident on Nov 27.
As Dr Shahrom examined and held up Adib’s trousers, which was a court exhibit, he showed the scratches and dirt on it.
“There are dirt and traces of (him being) dragged. At the bottom of the trousers, you can see the thread is bare, and there are a lot of broken stitches.”
Dr Shahrom said the simulations were conducted with two firefighters with different training backgrounds who stood in as “models”.
He said the first firefighter had a regular training background, but the second one had a commando training background.
Both “models” had similar reactions of being shocked when they were pulled and dragged away from the EMRS van.
Dr Shahrom said on the night of the incident, Adib would have similarly felt shocked because he did not expect a member of the crowd surrounding the EMRS van to pull him out. He said the injuries he sustained when he was pulled out would render him unable to react.
Hamdan: Wouldn’t the victim have closed the (EMRS van) door (as it was reversing)?
Dr Shahrom: Let me try to explain. The door was open when the EMRS van was reversing. The victim did not expect that he would be pulled out.
Hamdan: But he was a healthy, abled-bodied firefighter. He would have had an opportunity to defend himself, but what you are saying is that he would not have had that opportunity.
Dr Shahrom: I will agree to that suggestion if the victim knew that the people approaching him would pull him out. In the experiment (simulation), when the first model was pulled away, he did not put up any resistance.
The second model with commando training put up resistance when he was pulled out.
Hamdan: Theoretically, it may be so. But a firefighter would have been prepared. I cannot see why he did not put up any resistance.
Dr Shahrom: Those who attended the simulation with the first model were not allowed to tell the second model what happened. The second model did not know. Those who were present at the simulation were shocked as well.
It was claimed that Adib, 24, died of severe injuries after he was allegedly assaulted by rioters at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27. He was part of an emergency response team despatched to the scene to douse a torched vehicle.
Despite showing signs of recovery while being treated at the National Heart Institute, Adib died on Dec 17.