Kuala Lumpur: A woman involved in a fatal accident that resulted in the deaths of three students from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Dungun on Wednesday has never received mental health treatment in Terengganu.
Director of the Terengganu Health Department, Datuk Dr Kasemani Embong, confirmed that checks revealed no record of mental health care for the 49-year-old woman at any state health facility to date.
“However, we cannot determine whether she has sought mental health treatment in other states,” he said when contacted by national daily Utusan Malaysia today.
Dr Kasemani added that the accident had highlighted the need for families who may have members struggling with mental health issues to seek professional help.
“Don’t hesitate to get treatment. Our society must shift its perception of mental illness.
“We need to support those in need so they can improve and work towards a better future,” he was quoted as saying.
Terengganu police confirmed that the woman’s Honda CR-V SUV struck two motorcycles carrying four students on Jalan Pantai in front of the campus at around 7:35pm on Wednesday.
Ku Adib Aizad Ku Azmi and Khairil Anwar Jamaludin, both aged 20, and Muhammad Akmal Tukirin, 25, died at the scene.
The fourth student, Muhammad Ammar Danish Mohd Ridhuan, 20, sustained serious injuries.
The 49-year-old woman was arrested at the scene, but reports later emerged suggesting that she may have been mentally unstable at the time of the crash.
She was remanded for four days starting yesterday.
