Man behind wheel of ill-fated bus apologises to families - He apologised to the families of the victims, saying he regretted what had happened...

Man behind wheel of ill-fated bus apologises to families

KUALA LUMPUR: The driver of the ill-fated bus that crashed and took seven lives on Friday at Genting Sempah said he drove to support his family despite not having a valid driving licence.

S. Muthumani, 36, claimed he once had a driving licence but it was suspended by the Road Transport Department because it did not recognise the driving school he had gone to.

“I wanted to re-apply for a licence but couldn’t afford to,” he told reporters from his bed at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH) yesterday.

Muthumani was warded with a broken leg as well as a head injury that required 15 stitches.

His wife, 32, was at his bedside. The couple have three children, aged 10, 11 and 13 years.

Showing concern: Abdul Azeez asking Muthumani about his condition at KLH yesterday.

It was earlier reported that the man had never had a valid driving licence but only a learner driver’s licence that was blacklisted 13 years ago.

Thirty-nine people were injured in the accident and were sent to hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Selayang and Bentong.

The victims were from the Kedah 4B Youth movement, who had used the bus for a group excursion.

The driver has been remanded for four days since Saturday and will be investigated for reckless driving and causing death.

Muthumani said his employer knew he did not have a licence but continued to seek his services and paid him RM120 for a two-way trip on the Genting route, which he had done many times before.

He apologised to the families of the victims, saying he regretted what had happened and claimed the accident was caused by brake failure.

“I apologise to the families of the victims. I really did everything I could to avoid the accident but since the brakes failed, I was helpless,” he said.

Muthumani said that upon realising the brakes had failed, he applied the hand brake but that too did not help and efforts to engage the gear to minimise the bus speed were also futile.

Meanwhile, Putera 1Malaysia Club president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim plans to sue the bus operator.

“I will begin discussions with the lawyers on Monday. For now, the lawyers are still collecting evidence for the case,” he told reporters at KLH.

He said he wanted to make an example of the bus company through the lawsuit so that other companies would buck up on their safety standards and prevent such a tragedy from happening.

Abdul Azeez alleged that safety precautions had been lax, the bus was decrepit and it did not have safety belts.

“I’ve been told the company did not subscribe to any group insurance scheme.

“The passengers told me the driver used only one hand when driving, apparently because of an old injury on the other hand,” he said.