Girl dies in an accident heading to school
KOTA KINABALU - A seven-year-old girl died while two others were injured in an accident at Jalan Lintas, here on their way to school on Monday.
The unidentified girl was pronounced dead at the scene which occured at around 5.48am while the other two victims who were a 15-year-old teenage girl and a 59-year-old woman who was the driver were sent to the Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (HQEI).
Kota Kinabalu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said the incident involved a Proton Saga and a trailer.
"Early investigations found the 38-year-old driver of the trailer from Tawau headed to Penanpang was continuing his drive through Jalan Lintas as his traffic light displayed green.
"When arriving at the junction, the Proton Saga driver who was making a U-turn from the opposite direction drove out causing the lorry driver
to not be able to avoid the vehicle and collided with the left side of the trailer," he said in a statement on Monday.
Following the incident Zaidi said the Proton Saga carrying three victims had crashed into the shoulder of the road.
"Two victims which were the passenger and driver were brought by the ambulance to the hospital for further treatments while a girl sustained injuries on her head.
"The girl was declared dead at the scene at 6.15am and the body was brought to the hospital for an autopsy," he said.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
Lintas fire and rescue department (BBP) Agustavia Joe Guasi said they had sent a team to the scene as they received a call on the incident.
"The operation to remove the three victims stuck in the vehicle was done immediately," he said.
Agustavia informed the dead victim had no familial relations with the driver.
"The victim was the daughter to the driver's friend and it was possible that the victim was just simply taking a lift to head to school," he said.
