KLUANG, Johor: An ambulance driver died while two nurses and a patient were injured when the vehicle was involved in an accident at Kilometre 59.8 of the North-South Expressway (PLUS), southbound, here on Tuesday.
Renggam Fire and Rescue Station Operations Commander, Senior Fire Officer II M. Nasir A. Shah, said that as soon as they received the call at 1:30 pm, six personnel and a Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) were deployed to the location.
He said that upon arrival at the scene, they found a Segamat Hospital ambulance had skidded, and the incident involved four victims consisting of a driver, two medical officers (nurses), and a patient.
“Monitoring showed that the driver and the front passenger were thrown out of the ambulance, while the other two victims were in the back but were not trapped.
“The Fire and Rescue Operations Team (PKO) proceeded to rescue and move the victims to a safe area before handing them over to the ambulance service for further treatment at the hospital,” he said in a statementon Tuesday.
He added that the body of the deceased, aged 43, was handed over to the police, and the operation was ended at 2:24 pm.
Meanwhile, Johor Health and Environment Committee Chairman, Ling Tian Soon, confirmed the incident when contacted and informed that all victims had been sent to Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital (HEBHK) in Kluang for further action.
“All victims have been sent to the hospital in Kluang (HEBHK), and further investigations and information related to the incident will be announced by us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kluang District Police Chief, ACP Bahrin Mohd Noh, in a statement, said preliminary investigations found that the Iveco Daily ambulance belonging to the Ministry of Health (MOH) was believed to have skidded on its own after the left rear tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control.
He said the ambulance driver, Nurazrein Zainal, 43, suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead while receiving treatment at the Enche’ Besar Hajjah Kalsom Hospital (HEBHK).
“Two nurses, namely Dahlia Atan, 25, and Siti Rokiah Hassan, 35, sustained injuries to their legs and head while another victim, V. Amutha, 45, is currently at the same hospital for treatment,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987,” he said. – BERNAMA
