Kota Kinabalu: A lorry driver was on Thursday fined RM6,500 or four months jail for careless and inconsiderate driving which resulted in an accident with several vehicles that caused the death of a pedestrian near the Tun Fuad roundabout, here, three years ago.
Muhammad Sidik Aris, 32, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Lovely Natasha Charles to committing the offence at 6pm on Feb 25, 2019 at Jalan Sub Minintod here.
Traffic prosecuting officer Inspector Mohammad Khairul Nizam Mokhtar informed the court that the police received a call on a road accident involving five vehicles and a woman pedestrian at Jalan Kolam – Jalan Sub Minintod.
Police investigations revealed that Sidik, who was the driver of the lorry, was negotiating the downhill stretch towards Bukit Padang but then lost control of the vehicle due to a malfunction in the braking system and crashed into two vehicles ahead of him before skidding into the area of Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang, said Khairul Nizam.
Due to the strong impact of the collision, the last vehicle that was hit by Sidik also lost control and collided with two other vehicles in front, the court heard.
Khairul Nizam said the aftermath of the collision also caused another vehicle to lose control, before skidding and colliding with a female pedestrian who was later pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2.
Further investigations revealed that the accident was due to Sidik driving carelessly and recklessly where he failed to control his vehicle, resulting in the ensuing chaos, the court heard.
Duty counsel Lim Ming Zoong @ Lawrence representing Sidik, applied for leniency on the grounds that Sidik was the sole breadwinner of his family and has no previous convictions.
Sidik was charged under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Amended 1999) which carries a fine of between RM5,000 and RM10,000 and liability to jail of up to 12 months, on conviction.
The court also ordered Sidik’s driving licence to be endorsed with the conviction.
In another case, a 36-year-old man was fined RM200 or one week jail for using a handphone while driving.
Jakim Yusof pleaded guilty to committing the offence without a free holding device at 5.43pm on Feb 16, this year at Jalan Tun Fuad.
He had committed an offence under Rule 17A(2) read with Section 128 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 which provides for a fine of up to RM1,000 or jail term of up to three months, on conviction.
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