Kota Kinabalu: A Toyota Vios driver who went against the flow of traffic after making an illegal u- turn at the road divider near UTC in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, here, early Friday, caused a Nissan Vanette to catch fire in a subsequent crash.
In the 12.45am incident, a family of four in the van - a man and a woman in their 30s and two children - along with the 26-year-old Vios driver, suffered minor injuries.
Police do not suspect that the reckless driver was drunk. However, a blood sample was taken for further investigation in accordance with Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
“Investigations at the scene showed the accident is believed to have been caused by the Vios driver who had made a U-turn on the road divider and moved against the flow of traffic.
The vehicle was detained for inspection by Puspakom and the driver taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital II to have a blood sample drawn for the purpose of analysis at the Chemistry Department,” said Investigating Officer Sergeant Denal.
He added that the weather and road conditions at the time of the incident were good and the area was well lit.
Earlier, six firefighters from the Kota Kinabalu Station doused the fire with water and foam.
According to the Sabah Fire and Rescue Operations Centre, the four victims inside the van were helped out by passers-by.
The van was estimated to be 60 per cent destroyed by the fire which started from the engine.
“The team administered first aid to the victims and sent them to Hospital Queen Elizabeth 1 for further treatment,” a spokesperson said, adding the operation ended at 1.25pm.
