SUNGAI BULOH, 8 Sept 2017:
The accident involving national cyclists – including two Asean Para athletes – and their head coach at the Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor (Latar) highway yesterday morning happened in the split of a second, said para cycling athlete Mohamad Syazwan Rushdi.
He said the team had been using the route for training every week since the middle of the year. “We also followed all the set safety procedures.”
The country’s para cycling squad is currently preparing for the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Asean Para Games to be held from Sept 17-23.
During the incident, Mohamad Syazwan said he was on a hilly road, about 100m behind his teammates.
“I was surprised when I arrived at the scene, my teammates were all lying on the road,” he said when met at the Sungai Buloh Hospital today.
He said the vehicle which rammed into his colleagues was also not to be seen.
Those hit in the 10.45am accident at KM12.6 of the Latar highway were head coach Mohd Johari Nayan, 42, Para Asean athletes Mohd Hairul Hazwan Wahab, 25, and Muhammad Khairul Nizam Mohd Ali, 19; and two pilot riders – Mohd Nor Rizual Zainal, 31, and Muhamad Nur Syafiq Suhaimy, 25.
The five were cycling from Ijok, Kuala Selangor to Rawang before they were believed to be hit by a four-wheel drive vehicle.
The driver of the four-wheel drive believed to have rammed into the Malaysian cycling athletes and their head coach was detained at around 5.30 pm.
Kuala Selangor police chief Supt Ruslan Abdullah said the 46-year-old man was picked up after he lodged a police report on the incident at the Kampung Baru Subang police station at 3pm.
The man was then taken to the Kuala Selangor Traffic Police Station to perform urine tests and have his statement recorded for further investigation. The incident is being investigated under Section 42 of the Road Transport Act 1987.
“The suspects may also be charged in the Kuala Selangor magistrate’c Court,” he said in a statement.
– Bernama