NILAI: Action by a bus driver who made a quick turn to avoid crashing into another vehicle saved the lives of 30 passengers.
In the 6.55am incident at Jalan Labu-Nilai near Labu town here, the bus which was carrying factory workers was believed to have crashed into a temple, when its driver tried to avoid another vehicle coming from the opposite direction.
Bus driver M Rajair, 50, said he had earlier lost control of the bus when a car from the opposite direction abruptly swerved into his lane.
“In my effort to avoid the car, I made a sharp turn to the right. I had to make an emergency stop and crashed into a temple located on the right side of the road,” he said.
“It happened very fast. If I didn’t make the turn on time, the bus would definitely have fallen into a ravine just near the site. If that happened, more people would have suffered serious injuries or they could have died,” he said.
He said although the crash had damaged some parts of the temple he was thankful that no passenger was injured in the incident.
Rajair and all bus passengers escaped unhurt while the car driver and his passenger suffered some injuries.
When contacted, Nilai district police chief Superitendent Zaldino Zaludin said preliminary investigation showed that the bus had tried to avoid a car from the opposite direction, which ended with the bus crashing into the temple.
“The temple’s front side was damaged. Injured victims were sent to Tuanku Jaafar Hospital for treatment,” he said.