SHAH ALAM: SHAH ALAM: The wounds on fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s body could have been caused by the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) van door being kicked against him, an inquest was told today.
Former forensics oncology professor and pathology expert Prof Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid, 62, said he came to the conclusion based on Adib’s injury reports and incident re-enactment video materials which were provided to him by Syazlin Mansor, the lawyer representing the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
“My theory suggests that Adib had been pulled out of the left front seat while the EMRS van was reversing during the riots (on Nov 27), with at least one person kicking the door at the same time,“ he told the inquest into the death of Adib.
“Adib might have been positioned between the passenger door and the van, when the door was kicked causing his right rib cage to break.
“The victim died due to injuries to both his lungs caused by blunt force traumas. These blunt force traumas are not self-inflicted injuries but due to the acts of one or more persons.”
He also said it was unlikely that Adib was pinned between the fire engine and the EMRS van as that would have had a totally different outcome on Adib.
“If it had happened ... he would have died on the spot.”
Shahrom also theorised that Adib would have been pulled out to a roadside as there were injuries on his waist and several buttons missing from his shirt.
He said that it is based on a white patch found on his pants, elaborating that the incident could have happened within five to eight seconds, when the fire engine reversed and hit the EMRS van.
Adib was part of a nine-man fire-fighting team that responded to an emergency call at a temple where rioters were protesting its relocation on Nov 27.
He sustained severe injuries and was hospitalised for three weeks, before succumbing to his injuries on Dec 17.
The inquest before Coroner Rofiah Mohammad continues tomorrow.
