Advertisement

Karpal’s car crashed into lorry, not the other way around, says Perak police

Initial investigations have revealed that Karpal Singh’s Toyota Alphard crashed into a five-ton lorry in the accident yesterday that claimed his life and that of his assistant, Perak police said today.

State police chief Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani also dismissed rumours and speculation that the accident was caused by the lorry crashing into Karpal’s Alphard.

"Think logically. The fully-loaded lorry was going up a hill. How could it have crashed into Karpal's vehicle?" Acryl told The Malaysian Insider.

"Please do not speculate on unsubstantiated rumours and conspiracy theories. We are probing into the accident," he said.

Karpal, the 73-year-old Bukit Gelugor MP, died when his Alphard crashed into the lorry at 1.10am yesterday at KM306.1 of the North-South Expressway.

His personal assistant and loyal aide, 39-year-old Michael Cornelius, also died in the accident.

Karpal's Indonesian maid suffered serious injuries, while his son Ramkarpal and the driver sustained light injuries.

Following the accident, the 45-year-old lorry driver had his urine sample taken and initial screening revealed traces of cannabis.

"The urine screening is part of police standard operating procedure, especially following a fatal accident," Acryl said.

Initial police checks also revealed a total of 29 traffic summonses had been issued to Karpal's Alphard, of which 15 were unpaid.

The traffic summonses issued were for speeding, according to the police.

While tributes have been pouring in from a cross section of Malaysians for Karpal, also known as the Tiger of Jelutong, there has also been speculation about the accident.

The speculation on social media includes whether the lorry had crashed into the Alphard instead of the other way around. – April 18, 2014.