KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — In her final moments, Lee Zi Rou, who was killed after her car was crushed by a cargo container at a traffic light junction in Bukit Mertajam, Penang yesterday, managed to call her mother.
“Mummy! It hurts so much!” the 21-year-old woman gasped into her phone before falling silent.
In an emotional interview with China Press today, her mother, who only wished to be known as Lim, recalled with great sorrow, “I sensed she had died.”
The container reportedly toppled onto Lee’s car after the lorry lost control while negotiating a sharp left turn.
Another vehicle was also struck by the container.
Its driver, 25-year-old Tan Chou Theng, sustained serious injuries but was rescued by bystanders and taken to the hospital.
Lee’s mother shared that she had always warned her daughters to only call in the event of an emergency.
When Lee called, Lim immediately feared something was wrong.
“I told them that if they call, it means there is an emergency,” Lim was quoted as saying.
Lim quickly instructed her other daughter to drive her along Lee’s usual route to work.
Upon arriving at the scene, she was told by a man that her daughter had been crushed.
Despite frantic efforts to get help, the container was too heavy to move.
Lee’s mother recalled the tragic timing: “She called at 9:24am, and my daughter had died by 9:30am.”
At the Bukit Mertajam Magistrate’s Court today, a remand order was issued for the 51-year-old lorry driver, who is under investigation for causing death by reckless driving under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
If convicted, the driver faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to RM50,000, and a driving licence disqualification of between 10 and 20 years.
