Commuters who were riding on board trains No.40 and No.81 on May 24th, 2021 at 8.33pm in the evening became victims of what has been known as the worst accident attributed to the LRT’s history. Attributed to human error, the collision resulted in a whopping 213 injuries, 47 of which were serious and six requiring intensive care.
It has since been determined that human error was most likely the cause behind the tragedy, which saw one of the two trains being manned by a driver travelling the wrong way, resulting in the crash.
Victims of 2021 Kelana Jaya LRT crash to sue Prasarana & RapidRail
Almost two years on, eight of the victims involved are now mounting a litigation suit for damages resulting from the crash, naming both Prasarana and RapidRail as first and second defendants respectively, reports Malay Mail. The matter was confirmed by lawyer Ravinder Singh Dhalliwal from Messrs Vin Partnership, who said that the claim was made on March 9th, 2023.
As reported by The Star, who has viewed a statement of their claim, the plaintiffs said that they were both physically and mentally healthy prior to the crash and had all taken separate rides between the hours of 8.10pm to 9.00pm when the collision occurred between the Kampung Baru and KLCC LRT stations.
The group alleges that they have suffered physical injuries as a consequence of both defendants failing to ensure the safety of the passengers on-board, as well as whether the trains were safe to use to begin with.
Claims Tajuddin trivalised the hardships faced by victims
Aged between 26 and 47, the plaintiffs in the case include Tengku Amalie Tengku Alauddin Shah, Marvena Jitol, Riezariel Haeqal, Rozita Che Rus, Ng Siow Nee, Siti Nuraliah Hashim, Nurul Athirah Mohd K. Jabayee and Muhammad Firdaus Mohd Saleh.
Beyond this, they have also called out then-Prasarana chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman over his trivialisation and poor handling of the crash. Tajuddin faced fierce criticism by Malaysians over his flippant remarks on the incident, and once described the crash as two trains ‘kissing’ during a press conference.
He has since been sacked from his role on May 26th, 2021 following a petition.
The group is now seeking for general, exemplary, special and aggravated damages, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court. As of writing, the case has been scheduled for case management via eReview before High Court senior assistant registrar Mohamad Hafizul Awang on April 11th.
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