Charge driver and restaurant over fatal accident

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 – The driver who lost control of his car and rammed into roadside diners at a restaurant in Taman Equine here last night has been arrested by police.

Serdang district police chief Assistant Commissioner Ismadi Borhan said the man was arrested at about 1.43am.

“The driver, a Sarawakian, has been arrested. He was tested negative for drugs and police has taken his blood sample for an alcohol test.

“We expect to remand him at the Petaling Jaya court at 10am today,” Ismadi said in a statement today, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 41 of the Road Transport Act 1987.

A woman, aged 57, died at the scene of the accident, while four others were injured when a Toyota Hilux hit them as they were enjoying their dinner at an eatery at Jalan Equine 9B at about 8pm last night.

Hit-and-run accident

According to witnesses, the driver of the four-wheel drive (4WD) pick-up truck made a run for it after hitting the diners, and in the processed had also crashed into three other vehicles.

Photos have been going viral on social media, showing the aftermath of the accident, with tables and chairs strewn about, and some people getting medical attention while sitting on the road.

Police are believed to have found the abandoned pickup truck at around midnight at Jalan Indah 1/22, Taman Universiti Indah, Seri Kembangan later last night.

Stop charging under Road Transport law, hit-and-run is murder

Like in the case of the woman who was killed in a hit-and-run case in Cyberjaya recently, shouldn’t the police treat this as a murder case instead, or maybe manslaughter at worst.

Reckless driving and irresponsible drivers being treated with a misdemeanour over an incident that has taken another human being’s life, is not the way to go anymore.

Act against restaurant for placing tables outside

What should also be highlighted is the lack of enforcement by the relevant authorities on the placing of tables and chairs outside the given space a restaurant has.

It is bad enough when these tables and chairs are place on the walkpath of shoplots, forcing people to walk around them all the time, and also inconveniencing the disabled, such as the blind.

But out in the parking area, this is a fatal accident waiting to happen as the events of last night have proven.

This is not the first time too. A similar fatal accident occurred in June 2003, in Section 14, Petaling Jaya. A car rammed into diners who were seated on the curb outside a 24-hour mamak restaurant.

The government then declared that all food outlets and restaurants, including mamak stalls will have to stop placing tables, chairs or stools outside their premises.

Well, the time has come for the Pakatan Harapan government to show that it is not a case of the same old ways of the previous administration and allow this important rule to lapse without any action taken.

Be it a seafood restaurant or a mamak restaurant, all outlets must abide by the law, as there surely is the proper enactment by all local government bodies which forbids such action by these restaurants.

– NMT