Lorry driver in 12-vehicle crash tests positive for drugs, say cops

The lorry driver involved in an accident involving 11 other vehicles at the traffic lights along Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari in Alam Budiman near here yesterday afternoon tested positive for drugs.

Shah Alam police chief Sarudin Samah said a urine screening test conducted on the 51-year-old man found that he tested positive for amphetamine or methamphetamine.

“The man is currently detained to assist in investigations under Section 44(1A)(a) of the Road Transport Act 1987,” he said in a statement today.

The lorry driver is expected to be remanded at the Shah Alam Court today.

Sarudin said preliminary investigations found that the lorry driver claimed to have experienced brake problems before losing control while travelling downhill from Puncak Perdana towards Puncak Alam at about 4.20pm.

He said the lorry then veered into the opposite lane before crashing into 11 other vehicles stopped at the traffic lights at the Alam Budiman three-way junction.

In the incident, a 58-year-old man driving a Subaru XV sport utility vehicle (SUV) sustained serious head injuries and was receiving treatment in the red zone of UiTM Hospital Puncak Alam.

His 53-year-old wife and their 17-year-old grandson, who were also in the vehicle, were receiving treatment at the same hospital and were reported to be in stable condition.

Another victim, a 29-year-old man driving a Perodua Myvi, sustained bodily injuries and was also reported to be in stable condition.

Members of the public with information on the incident are urged to contact Shah Alam district police headquarters’ traffic investigation and enforcement division investigating officer, Abdul Nasser Peping, at 012-286 3875 to assist in the investigation.

Yesterday, footage showing a lorry believed to have been travelling against the flow of traffic before crashing into several vehicles at the junction went viral on social media.