FREAK ACCIDENT ON JB STREET
FALLING LAMP HITS BIKER IN FACE
His helmet intact, he dies
October 10, 2005
IT was nothing short of a freak accident.
Painter Wong Fook Man, 41, was riding down Jalan Sutera in Johor Baru at about 1am yesterday when a 4kg lamp casing hit him on the face and chest.
He died on the spot, reported The New Straits Times and The Star.
The irony - his helmet was still intact.
Johor Baru acting traffic police chief Harun Idri said Mr Wong's death was being investigated.
'The victim died on the spot from serious head injuries.
'A motorist travelling in the same direction behind Mr Wong stopped his vehicle in the nick of time,' he said.
The casing had been hanging on an electrical cable for several days, said resident Samson Wong.
RECENTLY FIXED
It was recently fixed by the Johor Baru city council workers.
Entrepreneur Jamal Rashid, 21, who lives just across the scene of the accident, said he was awakened by the sound of shattering glass.
'I was shocked when I saw a body on the roadside,' he said.
He then called the police.
Mr Wong's brother, Mr Wong Thien Lai, 45, said the police notified him of the accident at about 2am. What he saw shocked him.
'My brother was lying on the road. There was blood all over his face,' he said.
He plans to sue the local authority over the accident.
A Johor Baru municipal officer inspected the lamp post and the casing this morning.
Mr Lim Meng Fatt, a municipal officer, said he has asked council staff to check all street lamps around the area.
'We cannot have such things happening again,' he said.
The casing, which weighed about 4kg, was made of metal, glass and plastic.
Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) traffic unit head Zainuddin Abdul Samad confirmed that the lamp post comes under the city council's jurisdiction.
Mr Wong was the fourth in a family of eight siblings and a bachelor.
Topic: FALLING LAMP HITS BIKER IN FACE /Singapore (Read 2561 times)