TAWAU: A university student was killed and a civil servant injured in a head-on collision between a Mitsubishi Triton and a motorcycle along Jalan Tawau-Bombalai on the morning of July 14.
The accident took place at about 7.30 am. The Triton, driven by a 32-year-old local woman, was enroute from Sungai Imam to the Felda Umas Health Clinic. The motorcyclist, a 24-year-old student from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam on a practical attachment at the Tawau District Education Office, was travelling from Merotai to his workplace.
According to police, the driver lost control of the vehicle at the scene, veered into the opposite lane, and collided head-on with the oncoming motorcycle. The impact caused the Triton to skid off the road into a drain, where it overturned and landed upside down. The motorcyclist was thrown nearly five metres onto the roadside towards Tawau town and was later found lying in nearby bushes.
Ministry of Health paramedics pronounced the student dead at the scene. The driver sustained fractures to her right shoulder and arm and was transported to hospital for treatment.
The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless driving causing death.
Acting OCPD Superintendent Wilynton Enchana Watt urged road users to exercise caution, adhere to speed limits, and remain fully alert at all times, stressing that safety must always be the top priority to prevent such tragedies. – James Leong
The Mitsubishi Triton ended up on its roof in the Tawau accident on Tuesday.
