Johor to provide legal assistance to families of cycling accident victims

JOHOR BARU: The Johor government is prepared to provide legal services for each of the victims involved in the accident which killed eight secondary school pupils and injured eight others at Jalan Lingkarang Dalam here, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
In a statement issued, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the State government will help the family of the victims to appoint a lawyer to study the case and initiate appropriate action.
Apart from legal services, each of the deceased's families will be given RM1,600 as special assistance fund besides the Welfare department and Johor Religious department rendering their respective assistance.
In the accident which took place about 3am, according to Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Police Sulaiman Salleh, the teenagers aged between 13 and 17 were believed to be joyriding in the middle of the dark road, when the driver allegedly rammed into them near the Mahmoodiah Muslim cemetery.
The eight who died were identified as Muhammad Firdauz Danish M. Azhar, Mohammad Azrie Danish Zulkefli, Haizad Kasrin, Mohammad Shahrul Nizam Maruddin, Fauzan Halmijah, Muhamad Sharul Izzwan Azzuraimee, Mohamad Azhar Amir and Muhammad Harith Iskandar Abdullah.
Two students are said to be critical at the Intensive care unit (ICU) of Hospital Sultanah Aminah, while six others are to undergo surgery at the same hospital.