Motorists say they could not evade runaway bus
THE STAR
IPOH: Administrative executive Naim Zainol could only watch the view in his side mirror helplessly, as the speeding express bus behind rammed the side of his car near the Menora Tunnel.
The 28-year-old was with his wife, also 28, in their Proton Persona on the left lane of the North-South Expressway when the incident happened.
He said he had been slowing down because there was heavy traffic ahead, when he glanced at the mirror and “saw the car behind me stop, just before the bus overtook it and hit my car”.
The impact shoved his car forward and he crashed into a Toyota Unser in front of him, he said.
“Everything happened so fast. The impact was shocking,” Naim, who was making his way from Alor Setar to Kuala Lumpur at the end of the Hari Raya holiday that Sunday, told The Star yesterday.
His was the first car to be hit by the bus, which rammed into nine other vehicles, before it finally stopped along the south-bound lane of the expressway.
The 2.45pm incident at the 265.8km mark caused a massive traffic jam from the Kuala Kangsar exit to Jelapang, and from Bukit Gantang to Bukit Berapit.
After lodging a police report at the Ipoh district headquarters, Naim’s brother picked them up in his car after driving there from the capital. They finally reached home at about 3am yesterday.
“I hit my head in the crash and bruised my legs while my wife was complaining of chest pains,” he said.
Naim said the front and back portions of his car were badly damaged, and the doors on the right side could not be opened now.
Naim also added that the thought of his car being a write-off was “very painful”.
Another motorist, Abdul Ghani Abu Hassa Shaari, 33, who was in his car, two vehicles ahead of Naim’s, was also hit by the bus.
“Every time I closed my eyes to sleep that night, I could hear the sound of the bus crashing into the cars behind me,” he said.
The assistant electrical engineer was travelling from Alor Setar to Tanjung Malim, Perak, with his 33-year-old wife, 60-year-old father and 59-year-old mother, at the time.
He said that by the time he noticed the bus in his side mirror, it had already rammed the car behind him and there was little space for him to avoid it.
“Luckily there was a wide gap between my car and the one in front, so only the back of my car was damaged,” he said.
On speculation that the bus may have had technical problems, Abdul Ghani said it was the bus company’s responsibility to ensure that the vehicle was in good condition.
“But at least the bus driver was quick-thinking and tried to stay in the middle of the road to minimise damage to the cars in front of him.”
His car had minimal damage after the impact and the family made it to Tanjung Malim at about 10.30pm.
