Gerik crash: Bus driver apologises, denies speeding after viral video claims, says brakes failed
TAIPING, June 10 — The driver of the ill-fated bus that crashed and killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students yesterday has apologised and denied claims he was speeding.
Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle said the incident was caused by sudden brake failure while descending a hilly stretch on the East-West Highway, near the elephant crossing bridge in Gerik, Harian Metro reported today.
'I apologise to all the victims' families and the students involved in the accident yesterday morning. What happened was because the bus brakes suddenly failed,' he was quoted as saying from his hospital bed at Taiping Hospital, Perak.
He said the bus – which departed from Terengganu for the main UPSI campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak – was functioning well, until the brakes failed without warning.
'At that moment, I tried everything I could, but since the bus had no air pressure left, nothing worked — not even the handbrake or the gear shift,' he was quoted as saying.
Amirul claimed he did his best to avoid crashing into other vehicles as the bus sped downhill uncontrollably.
'What I did then was try to avoid hitting other vehicles. As far as I remember, I managed to avoid four vehicles, including a lorry, before the accident happened.
'The last vehicle I overtook was a car with a dashcam, and by then I was doing everything I could to prevent a worse situation.'
A video clip of the bus overtaking vehicles on the highway has been circulating on the internet since yesterday, prompting questions about its speed.
'People saw me speeding and overtaking, but the truth is I was trying to avoid crashing into them. Unfortunately, it was a winding road and I couldn't do anything more,' Amirul was quoted as saying.
The 39-year-old who has been driving buses since 2016 claimed he shouted to warn the students aboard the bus once the brakes failed.
'Those sitting at the front may have heard me, but most at the back were asleep and thought I was just yelling.
'I estimate the bus travelled for over a kilometre without brakes. I truly did my best as a driver to prevent the accident.
'I wasn't speeding as claimed. I know the Jeli-Gerik route well, and we were going downhill at the time,' he was quoted as saying.
When the bus overturned, Amirul said he briefly lost consciousness.
Upon waking up, he urged the UPSI students to crawl out through the broken windscreen.
He related that he did the same and cried when he saw the students' condition.
'In all my years of driving, this is the first accident involving fatalities. As a bus driver, I feel deeply guilty.
'But there's no turning back time. All I can do is apologise, and I leave the investigation to the police,' the Besut native added.
Amirul is currently awaiting surgery for a broken left arm.
Yesterday, police said preliminary investigations found the bus had hit the rear of a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) before overturning.
The MPV carried a family of four who survived the crash after veering into a ditch.
The driver and his toddler son have since been discharged while his wife and six-year-old daughter remain warded for medical treatment at Baling Hospital in Kedah.
Police have yet to formally question the bus driver and have indicated they will apply for a remand order after he is discharged.
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