KOTA KINABALU: Three people were killed in separate accidents in Tawau on Wednesday (Aug 26) afternoon.
In the first incident, a 26-year-old Indonesian was believed to have fallen asleep while driving, causing him to ram into a tree before crashing into a nearby drain along Mile 16, Jalan Apas at around 3.26pm.
Tawau OCPD Asst Comm Rosdi Mat Jusoh said the victim was believed to have succumbed to severe head and neck injuries while a female passenger also sustained multiple injuries after she was thrown out of the car.
“The female passenger, 24, was pronounced dead at the hospital when undergoing emergency treatment at around 9.20pm,” he said in a statement Thursday (Aug 27).
He said both victims were from Semporna and were headed towards Tawau town when the mishap occurred.
Later at Mile 3, Jalan Apas, a motorcyclist was killed following a freak mishap at around 6pm, said ACP Rosdi.
He said the 55-year-old, an air traffic controller, was riding his motorcycle when he stopped at a traffic light intersection for the red light.
“When the light turned green, the motorcyclist was believed to have lost balance due to the uneven road, causing him to fall in front of a car beside him,” he said.
ACP Rosdi said the vehicle driver could not stop in time and had run over the fallen motorcyclist, which subsequently led to the victim’s death.
The driver did not sustain any injuries.
He said inspections on site found that a part of the road was slightly higher as it had just recently been tarred.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transports Act 1987 for causing death due to reckless or dangerous driving.
