Kuala Lumpur — 1:00 AM, Jalan Sultan Ismail
It was 1 in the morning. The city was quiet. At the Maju Junction traffic light on Jalan Sultan Ismail, a family of four was just standing there — probably waiting to cross, probably tired after a long day. They never made it home.
In a matter of seconds, their world ended.
The truck was driven by a 43-year-old man. Its beacon lights were flashing, its siren wailing. Initial investigations found it is believed to have entered the intersection when the light on its lane was red.
At the same time, a Proton Saga driven by a 50-year-old man was moving straight — his light was green. Police said he was unable to avoid the truck, leading to a collision in the middle of the intersection.
The impact threw the heavy lorry completely out of control. It veered off the road onto the pavement where the family was standing and slammed into an Inokom Matrix that was stationary at the red light.
A Family Wiped Out While Waiting
The victims were all from the same family. A 53-year-old father and his two daughters, aged 25 and 12, died at the scene — right there on the road, next to each other. His wife, the mother of the girls, aged 55, survived but sustained injuries to her head, right arm and both legs. She was rushed to the Red Zone of Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).
She woke up without her husband. Without her daughters. How do you survive that? Three empty spaces have been left behind that can never be filled. This wasn't just an accident. This was a family wiped out while doing the most ordinary thing — waiting at a traffic light.
Empty Truck, Full Siren, Three Graves
Following the tragedy, Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said an internal investigation would examine compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safety requirements governing departmental vehicles.
Good. Please do. Because the common man on the street is left with a very simple, very stupid question: Why was an empty truck in such a hurry that it had to kill a family?
This wasn't a truck full of dangerous criminals escaping. It wasn't rushing a dying man to hospital. According to police, the lorry was kosong — empty. It was on its way to pick someone up. So here's the uncomfortable, tongue-in-cheek question we have to ask: Since when does an empty lorry become an ambulance? Since when does 'going to pick up someone' give you the right to beat a red light? If I put a beacon from Shoppe on my Myvi and play a siren ringtone, can I also run the red because I am late to pick up my boss?
We are not anti-enforcement. We respect JIM's work. But a beacon is not a magic shield.
The Public Has The Right To Know: What Is The SOP?
Under JPJ rules, even genuine emergency vehicles — ambulance, bomba, police — do not have an automatic, overriding right of way. Having a siren and beacon on gives priority, yes, but the driver must still ensure conditions are safe before taking emergency action like beating a red light or making a U-turn. The beacon must be JPJ-approved, the driver must be trained, and the use must be for a genuine emergency.
So was this trip classified as a genuine emergency under the Road Transport Act? Is 'going to pick up OKT' an emergency that allows beating a red light at 1 AM? Who authorized the use of siren and beacon on an empty vehicle?
Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa, chief of the Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department, confirmed the incident is under investigation. JIM says it will check SOP compliance internally.
The public deserves more than a one-page internal report. One woman is lying in HKL Red Zone with a broken body and a shattered life. Three others will never come home. Don't just tell us you will check the SOP — tell us what the SOP is, and whether an empty truck with a loud siren should ever be allowed to decide that a red light doesn't apply to it.
ENDS
By
Sam Trailerman
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