Police photo shows the pickup truck inside the drain.
BINTULU (Sept 17): A seven-year-old Indonesian boy and his mother were killed after the motorcycle they were riding pillion on was rear-ended by a pickup truck along the Samalaju coastal road on Wednesday night.
Sarawak Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Supt Alexson Naga Chabu said the victims were identified as Habibah and her son Fairuz.
He said Habibah’s husband Fitra, who was the rider, suffered injuries along with the two men in the pickup truck.
“The incident happened around 9.50pm near a petrol station when the pickup truck and motorcycle were travelling in the same direction towards the town centre.
“The road was wet at the time and without street lights, and the pickup truck driver was unable to avoid crashing into the rear of the motorcycle,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said the impact of the collision caused the three family members to be flung to the side of the road, while the pickup truck overturned into a drain.
The driver and his passenger were left pinned in their seats and had to be extricated by firefighters, Alexson added.
“The mother and child were pronounced dead at the scene, while the three injured victims were rushed to hospital.”
Alexson said preliminary investigations indicated the accident was due to negligence on the part of the pickup truck driver, adding the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.