Labourer killed in freak accident
The Borneo Post Online, 15 December 2013
FREAK ACCIDENT: Policemen preparing to move away Chai’s body from the scene of the accident.
KUCHING: A labourer was killed in a freak accident late yesterday afternoon when he was run over by a reversing excavator at a land clearing site in Petra Jaya here.
The deceased has been identified as Chai Pho Miaw, 58, of Jambusan in Bau.
The incident occurred around 5pm when Chai and several co-workers were about to call it a day at a cleared site in a secondary jungle behind Bangunan Baitulmal.
According to one worker, all of them were standing at a safe distance and watching as another co-worker was busy manoeuvring an excavator when for reasons unknown Chai suddenly walked up behind the machine without anyone realising it.
It was only when the excavator was put into reverse that they realised he was standing there, but it proved to be too little too late as the victim was run over and killed on the spot.
Police personnel from the Gita station were summoned to the scene to document the workplace-related accident, and later classified the case as sudden death.
Chai’s body was later sent to Sarawak General Hospital for a post-mortem.
