BUKIT MERTAJAM: A lorry driver died in hospital several hours after he was flung from a height of 7m during an accident involving the vehicle and motorcycle at Km137 of the North-South Expressway early today.
The 20-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured in the incident.
Seberang Prai Tengah police chief Assistant Commissioner Shafee Abdul Samad said police were alerted to the incident about 3.15am.
He said the 33-year-old lorry driver was flung out of the vehicle after it had rammed into the road barrier on the left side. The incident occurred at a flyover and the man fell 7m below the flyover.
"Investigations found the lorry driver, attached to Shopee, had left his house for the Shopee store to load items before sending them out to the Pokok Sena hub.
"Investigations revealed that the lorry collided with the motorcycle, causing one of its left tyres to burst and this, in turn, caused the driver to lose control of his vehicle. It skidded and rammed into the barrier on the left side of the flyover. The impact is believed to have thrown the driver out of the vehicle."
Shafee said both victims were taken to the Seberang Jaya Hospital where they were placed in the Red Zone. However, the lorry driver died of his injuries several hours later.
According to Shafee, there was no closed circuit television (CCTV) camera at the scene and no witness has come forward to assist investigations.
"There is a possibility the motorcycle had collided with another vehicle before it collided with the lorry, based on the damages to both vehicles at the front.
"The rim of the burst tyre of the lorry left marks which ran for about 25m from where it had collided with the motorcycle before it rammed into the guardrail. There were also signs of cracks on the road near the motorcycle but no brake or skid marks (leading to it)," he added.
Shafee said the motorcyclist sustained head injuries and broke both his legs.
The case is being probed under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless and dangerous driving.