TAWAU: A 55-year-old air traffic officer was killed after he lost control of his motorcycle while riding over an uneven road surface – he fell and was run over by a sedan at Batu 3, Jalan Apas, at about 6pm, Wednesday.
Tawau district police chief ACP Rosdi Mat Jusoh said the victim, who was an officer with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) Tawau, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The accident caused the victim to succumb severe head injuries,” he said in a statement.
The victim was riding a Yamaha RXZ motorcycle and a Toyota Camry driven by a 28-year-old man.
He said preliminary investigations found that both vehicles were travelling in the same direction, with the car travelling from Kg Titingan towards Batu Payung, while the victim was travelling from Tawau town towards Taman Millennium.
“When they were at the traffic light junction at Batu 3, the motorcycle rider and the car driver continued travelling slowly after the traffic light turned green.
“However, the motorcycle ridden by the victim, which was believed to be travelling alongside the car, is suspected to have suddenly lost balance after passing over an uneven road surface at the location,” he said.
Rosdi said an inspection found that the right lane of the two-lane carriageway had just been resurfaced and was at a higher level than the left lane, which was lower and had yet to be resurfaced.
He said preliminary police investigations suspected that the condition of the road may have caused the victim’s motorcycle to lose balance before he fell in front of the sedan.
“The Toyota Camry driver was unable to stop the vehicle in time due to the short distance, causing the victim and his motorcycle to become lodged underneath the front section of the sedan,” he said.
