SHAH ALAM: An engineer and his wife yesterday filed a suit against the Marine Department director-general and two other parties for allegedly causing the death of their son following an accident at the Kuala Kedah Passenger Ferry terminal, Kedah in March.
Foong Kwok Mun, 40, and his wife Ng Lai Kein, 39, a clerk, filed the summons with the High Court registrar here through Messrs Halim Hong & Quek.
They named the Transport Minister and Government of Malaysia as the second and third defendants.
The five-year-old boy, Foong Chun Yuan, was seriously injured when a shard of glass pierced an artery in his thigh after he walked into a glass door at the jetty.
Chun Yuan, who was in the intensive care unit of the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, Kedah, died three days later.
In their statement of claim, Kwok Mun and Ng claimed their family were at the terminal to board a ferry to Langkawi on March 9, when Chun Yuan walked into a tinted glass door which shattered into pieces.
The plaintiffs claimed that although their son was seriously injured after a glass shard pierced his upper thigh, the security guard on duty denied their plea for help and failed to direct or accompany them to the nearest hospital.
The guard also allegedly demanded compensation for the broken door and prevented the family from leaving the terminal until their name and identification numbers had been taken down.
The couple stated that after three days of treatment, Chun Chuan could not be saved and died at the hospital.
The plaintiffs claimed the accident was due to the negligence of all the defendants and the failure of the terminal authorities to act in a professional manner and for unreasonably detaining the family instead of giving priority to Chun Yuan’s injury and failure to ensure the safety of the terminal for its passengers.
The couple sought special damages, RM10,000 in bereavement damages, exemplary and aggravated damages and other costs and relief deemed fit by the court. — Bernama