BMW offers help in probe of burnt car at Sprint Highway toll booth

PETALING JAYA: BMW Group Malaysia is offering its expertise and assistance to the authorities over the death of a man who was burnt when his BMW car caught fire at the toll plaza of the Sprint Highway in Damansara on Tuesday.

In a statement, its managing director and chief executive officer Han Sang Yun described the incident as sad and unfortunate.

"We at BMW Group Malaysia learnt this morning of an incident where a previous generation BMW vehicle caught on fire at the Toll Gates of the Sprint Expressway which resulted in a fatality.

"This is a very unfortunate incident and we are really saddened with what has happened. We sympathise with the victim and the family members affected by the incident.

"We understand that at the moment, the cause of the fire has not been ascertained and we at BMW Group Malaysia are open to offering our expertise, cooperation and assistance to the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department as well as the related authorities to investigate the incident thoroughly," Han said.

In the 4am incident, the man, believed to have been drunk, had stopped his BMW at the Touch N’ Go lane at the toll plaza before moving to the passenger seat to sleep with the engine running.

Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Zani Che Din said a staff at the toll booth had tried to wake the man up but the car was locked and the windows had been shut tight.

The car’s engine was said to have caught fire about an hour later and the flames had spread quickly, burning the man to death.