CAMERON HIGHLANDS: A family vacation turned tragic yesterday when a three-year-old girl died after being struck by a van at a night market here, as her parents watched on helplessly.
In the 9.45pm incident, the 29-year-old van driver, who is a trader here, was trying to drive past crowds of market-goers.
At the same time, little Adra Mustaffa Kamal, from Mersing, Johor, was checking out toys at a stall with her parents and two siblings.
"The man had stepped on the accelerator hard, to produce a loud engine noise, so that the market-goers would make way for him.
"(But it) was then seen moving at a high speed towards the stall where the girl was standing, near two women.
“The van struck the three individuals, leaving them with head injuries and broken legs.
“The girl died of severe head injuries,” district police chief Hasadid A. Hamid said.
Adra’s remains, and the two injured women, were brought to the Sutanah Hajjah Kalsom Hospital (HSHK) in Tanah Rata.
The van driver later said that he had suffered a cramp and fell unconscious during the incident.
Hasadid said the man has been detained and that the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
He added that the driver underwent a urine and blood test.