SHAH ALAM: A forensic specialist told the coroner's court today that the pattern of injuries sustained by the late fire fighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim did not match with the type of injuries sustained by a person who was kicked or punched.
Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi from Kuala Lumpur Hospital , who was the 24th witness in the inquest to determine the cause of Adib's death, said that this summary was made following a post-mortem on Adib's body on Dec 18, 2018, a day after he died of his injuries at the National Heart Institute (IJN).
He said he also drew this conclusion based on a police reconstruction of the incident in which Adib sustained his injuries during a riot outside the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27 last year.
"In my opinion, the pattern of injuries which was found on the deceased did not match with injuries of being beaten.
"The pattern of injuries in the thorax (cavity of the chest area), which was found after examining the body, were not injuries which were usually or normally seen in a person being beaten with a blunt object or being kicked or punched.
"Besides that, there was no injury to his face, head, abdomen, upper body parts and lower body parts that could match with any wounds related to injuries of being beaten or being in self-defence," he said when answering questions by deputy public prosecutor Hamdan Hamzah.
Dr Hafizam said that he and his team were roped in on Dec 22 last year, five days after Adib's death, to conduct a reconstruction of the rioting incident which involved Adib and a team of fire fighters on the night he was injured.
He said that the cause of death based on the post-mortem stated that Adib died due to injury in his thorax due to blunt trauma on the chest. In medical terms it was refered to intrathoracic injuries due to blunt trauma to the chest.
"Based on the examination (in the post-mortem), the injury in the thorax was severe enough to cause death. The treatment the deceased received could only prolong his life, but it could not heal the injury he sustained," he said to a question by Hamdan.
Dr Hafizam said he also made these summaries based on the injuries which Adib had sustained, including the seven broken left ribs and the four right ribs.
He said that the edges of two of his broken right ribs pierced through his right lung, and all these injuries caused his condition to deteriorate.
He said he received information from the police investigating officer during the reconstruction of the crash that occured between the Emergency Medical Response Service (EMRS) van which Adib was in, and a fire rescue tender (FRT) truck in front of it.
He said that according to testimony of the EMRS driver, Adib was not in the vehicle when the FRT truck reversed and crashed into the van's front.
"Based on this information, I am of the opinion that the most probable occurance, if it was true that Adib was standing outside the EMRS with his back towards the truck, it would be that the left side of his back would have received impact from the rear edge of the left-side front door of the EMRS, which was opened.
"The reversing vehicle would have caused his first to seventh left rear ribs to be broken."
He said this was consistent with the impact to Adib's left ribs was due to something hard, thin and vertical in shape, which matches with the nature of the broken bones which were like a verticle line which spanned from the first to the seventh ribs on the left.
He said it was likely that the impact may caused Adib to fall face-down while hitting a hard object on the ground, based on the severe injuries he sustained to the right side of his chest, and the cuts he had on his right knee and left elbow.
Dr Hafizam said he could not deny a claim that these injuries were caused by Adib being pinned in between two hard surfaces, through he said that he needed credible evidence to support this claim.
The inquest before coroner Rofi
ah Mohamad continues on Tuesday.
It was claimed that Adib, 24, died from severe injuries sustained after he was allegedly assaulted by rioters at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27.
He was part of an emergency response team despatched to the scene to douse a vehicle which had been torched.
Despite showing signs of recovery while being treated at the National Heart Institute, Adib died on Dec 17.