9-Year-Old Girl Dies In Freak Incident, Trapped Under Family Car at Tawar
In a bizarre accident in Kampung Keledang Luar in the mukim of Tawar yesterday afternoon, a 9-year-old girl was killed after being driven over by the family automobile.
The youngster was playing outside the house with her 7-year-old brother around 2.15 p.m., according to Baling police chief Shamsudin Mamat, and had entered the vehicle parked in front of the house.
According to him, witnesses said the girl was seen playing in the driver’s seat and was suspected of releasing the handbrake, causing the car to move backwards.
“The kid was terrified. She got out of the car and raced to the back to try to stop it from moving, but she was stuck underneath,” he stated earlier today.
Her father and grandmother were not at present at the time of the occurrence.
Her uncle, a 29-year-old ambulance driver had been looking after her and her other siblings, who ranged in age from seven to fifteen.
Hearing the ruckus outside, he raced out, just about to leave the house for work.
He then discovered the girl trapped beneath the vehicle and hurried her to Sungai Petani’s Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, but she was said to have died en route.
The deceased resided with her family, but her father and grandmother were not at present at the time of the occurrence.
The body of the girl was taken to Alor Setar’s Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The incident was ruled a ‘sudden death’, and the matter is currently being examined under Section 31 (1) of the Child Act of 2001.
The girl was said to have endured internal bleeding and a skull fracture as a result.
Shamsudin has advised the public and caregivers nationwide to take measures into preventing such incidents.
Fairview notes that several precautionary steps can be taken in order to protect children against car-related dangers. These steps include making sure children are aware that vehicles are not toys, and never leaving a child unsupervised in or around cars at any time.
The site also urges guardians to lock the car doors once they leave car, if only for a split second, for that may be all it takes to heist the life of an innocent child.