PAPAR (ANN/THE STAR) – Two lorry drivers tragically lost their lives after being struck by a vehicle while attempting to change a tyre along the shoulder of the Pan Borneo Highway, near Kilometre 9 of Jalan Lama Papar-Kota Kinabalu, on Saturday (March 22).
The fatal incident occurred at approximately 2pm. The victims, aged 26 and 62, sustained critical injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Papar district police chief, Superintendent Kamaruddin Ambo Sakka, said the initial investigation revealed that one of the victims had stopped on the roadside and got out after discovering a tyre issue with his vehicle.
“While the victim was attempting to change the tyre, a friend who is also a lorry driver stopped at the location to assist him.
“However, a car driven by a 23-year-old man coming from Kota Kinabalu towards Kimanis suddenly lost control.
“The driver hit both victims who were changing the tyre on the right front side of the lorry,” he said when contacted by Sinar Harian on Saturday.
He added that the victims’ bodies were taken to the Papar Hospital Forensic Unit for post-mortem examination.
“Meanwhile, the driver and passenger of the Proton Saga sustained only minor injuries and were taken to Papar Hospital for treatment,” he said.
