Police: Driver fled because he had no licence
TAPAH: Fearing that he could be arrested, market trader Beh Kok Meng fled the scene after his vehicle was hit by an ice truck during an accident that killed nine people near here on Saturday.
Tapah OCPD Supt Som Sak Din Keliaw said the 47-year-old did not have a driving licence. His road tax and insurance expired in January 2016.
“His car was the first to get hit by the truck, and subsequently his vehicle hit the van ahead,” said Supt Som Sak.
“The impact caused his car to spin around twice. The trader got out of his car and saw the damage to the van,” Supt Som Sak said at a press conference here yesterday.
“He then drove back and kept his car at his home in Chuan Nam Park, Langkap,” he said.
“We managed to locate him after the investigating officer of the case re-visited the accident site and found his car registration plate some 5m away from where the crash took place at about 4pm,” he added.
It was reported that a group of eight friends, aged between 55 and 82 from Ayer Kuning New Village, were killed in the accident at KM45 of Jalan Ipoh-Teluk Intan, near here.
Also killed was van driver Lew San Jau, 33, from Malim Nawar. The 22-year-old truck driver suffered cuts and bruises to his head.
Supt Som Sak said Beh lodged a report and his statement was taken yesterday.
“He is now our main and important witness. He did not lodge a report earlier because he does not have a driving licence,” he said, adding that Beh’s car had been towed to the police station.
“He also has six traffic summonses for speeding and for not possessing a road tax.
“We will deal with this separately,” Supt Som Sak said.
“In relation to the accident, we will not take action against him as he was also a victim.”
As for truck driver Mohd Eizat Hani, who was discharged from the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh on Sunday, Supt Som Sak said police had recorded his statement.
“He was not remanded. We’ve only detained him for 24 hours to take his statement.
“The blood sample we took from him has been sent for testing. The report will be ready in the next one to two weeks,” he said.
Supt Som Sak said Mohd Eizat started working as a truck driver less than a month ago.
“Personally, he has four traffic summonses but none related to the truck.
“The offences for the summonses include not wearing a seatbelt, not displaying the road tax, no rear mirror and an offence related to the specification of his car’s registration number plate.
“Police believe that the accident is still due to speeding and the weight of the truck also caused the loss of control of the vehicle,” he said.
The families of Lew, Cheong Moy, 68, Yow Sam Mooi, 67, Cheong Kai Yean, 55, and Wong Yok Yen, 61, performed the last rites yesterday before burying them separately at cemeteries in Ayer Kuning and in Malim Nawar.