DAP Sarawak offers help to victims’ family take up fatal accident case against authority

The family members of the father and son who were killed in a road crash in Jalan Miri Airport here on Tuesday can seek Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak’s assistance to initiate legal action against the local authority, said its secretary Alan Ling.

Ling, who is a lawyer by training, said this was among the options for the family of the victims.

“The safety measures while carrying out the road works may be lacking, thus MCC (Miri City Council) has vicarious liability and will have to be bear the responsibility if it is proven that the practices by their contractors are not up to the required standards,” he said.

“Any sign placed by a vehicle on the public road must not only be visible but also must be visible within a safe buffer distance. This is common sense as to let others be aware and failure to do so is not only negligent per se but can be a factor contributing to the fatal accident.”

The crash which occurred around 2.47pm Tuesday claimed the lives of 39-year-old Mohd Firdauz Chemat who died at the scene, and his son Rizq Aqil, a Primary 6 pupil of SK South, who succumbed to his injuries at the Intensive Care Unit of Miri Hospital yesterday morning.

According to a statement by MCC, the council’s contractor was doing its daily routine job at Jalan Miri Airport when a Perodua Aruz rear-ended the contractor’s lorry.

Meanwhile, Ling urged the police to thoroughly investigate the incident and make public the outcome of their probe.

While extending his condolences to the victims’ family members, he also called on all contractors to instil greater safety awareness when carrying out jobs and not to take safety aspects for granted.