BUKIT MERTAJAM: In her final moments, the victim of a tragic accident who died after being crushed under a cargo container in Malaysia’s Penang state had called her mother with the last ounce of her strength.
“Mummy, it hurts so much!” 21-year-old Lee Zi Rou had cried into her handphone, as her mother recalled her last words in an interview with Chinese-language daily China Press on Thursday (Nov 14).
The mother - identified as 42-year-old Ms Lim - frantically asked her daughter about her whereabouts but was met with silence.
“I sensed she had died,” Ms Lim said at her daughter's wake, as quoted by local news outlet The Star.
“She called at 9.24am but my daughter died by 9.30am.”
Ms Lee succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday after the car she was driving was crushed by a container at a traffic light junction at Jalan Bukit Tengah. The container from a trailer had toppled onto her car when the driver had allegedly lost control of his vehicle when attempting a sharp left turn.
The accident also left a 25-year-old man seriously injured after the container also crashed into his car in the five-vehicle collision. The Star reported that 25-year-old Tan Chou Theng managed to be rescued and was taken to the hospital by passers-by.
Speaking to China Press, Ms Lim had told her daughters to only text her for non-urgent matters.
“I told them that if they call, it means there is an emergency so when Lee called, I felt fear,” she said.
Ms Lim then asked her other daughter to drive her through the route the late Ms Lee typically takes to work, as her subsequent calls went unanswered.
The Star reported that a man finally picked up the phone to tell her that her daughter had been crushed in an accident, providing her with the location.
“It was impossible (for her to survive), the container was too heavy,” Ms Lim said, as she recounted how she begged bystanders to help rescue her daughter.
Netizens have paid tribute to the late Ms Lee even as others called for more action to be taken against the errant driver.
“This is terrible, a mother’s nightmare. Condolences to her family and may she rest in peace. I hope the driver is held responsible,” said X user @ladymissazira.
Another X user @sayapkiri188 said that drivers that cause serious accidents such as the one in Penang deserve to be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law, but added that they should also provide compensation to victims’ families.
X user @parvin_84, meanwhile, shared his condolences and hoped that the victim’s mother “is doing well”.
“That's heartbreaking to just read. Can't imagine hearing someone you love say that while you're completely helpless,” he wrote, in reference to Ms Lee’s final phone call.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Anthony Loke had weighed in on the accident and stated that the operating licence of the trailer company involved could be suspended if it is found non-compliant with safety regulations.
“The Land Public Transport Agency, together with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) will conduct an audit of the company. If they fail or are found non-compliant with safety measures, their license will be suspended,” he said on Nov 14 after an event by the Malaysian Maritime Institute, as quoted by local news agency Bernama.
More at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asi...ee-zi-rou-died-mother-lorry-container-4749416
