Singaporean boy, 7, dies in Johor Bahru accident; unlicensed lorry driver tests positive for meth

JOHOR BAHRU: A seven-year-old Singaporean boy died in a Johor Bahru hospital following a fatal accident involving a car and a lorry.

The collision – which occurred at Johor Baru’s Jalan Pantai – caused the boy to be thrown out of the car.

The lorry driver, who tested positive for methamphetamine, has been detained by the police. Investigations also found that he did not possess a driving licence.

In a press statement on Monday (Mar 17), Johor Bahru South police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said that the accident occurred at 10.34pm on Sunday.

“Initial investigations found that the lorry, driven by a 57-year-old man, was coming from Masai towards the city centre.

“The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to veer into the oncoming lane,” Raub said, as quoted by The Star.

It then collided with a Singapore-registered car which was heading in the direction of Permas Jaya.

Raud said that the car was driven by a 44-year-old Singaporean man and was carrying four other passengers.

They were aged between two and 37.

Of the people in the car, four were Singaporeans – including the driver – and the remaining one is an Indonesian citizen.

According to an internal report by the fire and rescued department and shared with the media, the seven-year-old passenger is a Singaporean boy.

“The collision caused the boy, who was seated at the back, to be thrown out of the vehicle.

“At around 3am on Monday, we were informed that the boy died while being treated at a private hospital,” Raub said.

The car driver and remaining passengers are being treated at the Hospital Sultan Ismail.

“We have detained the lorry driver, who tested positive for methamphetamine,” Raub said.

“Further checks also found that the suspect has no driving licence or vocational licence while the vehicle’s road tax has expired.”

CNA has reached out to Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information.