KUALA LUMPUR: Eight victims in the light rail transit (LRT) line train collision in May, 2021 have filed a civil lawsuit against RapidRail and Prasarana for alleged negligence.
The eight are Tengku Amalie Tengku Alaudin Shah, 47; Marvena Jitol, 28; Riezariel Haeqal, 30; Rozita Che Rus, 28; Ng Siow Nee, 36; Siti Nuraliah Hashim, 26; Nurul Athirah Mohd K. Jabayee, 36; and Muhammad Firdaus Mohd Saleh, 35.
The suit was filed by Messrs. Vin Partnership at the High Court here earlier this month and named RapidRail and Prasarana as the first and second defendants.
According to their statement of claim, the eight said they boarded the train at the KLCC station between 8pm and 9pm on May 24, 2021.
The plaintiffs claimed that the incident which occurred between Kampung Baru station and KLCC station was due to negligence from both defendants.
The plaintiffs claimed that they had suffered various physical injuries which had affected their livelihood.
"The defendants failed to ensure the safety of the plaintiffs and other passengers inside the train.
"Datuk Seri Tajudin Abdul Rahman who was then the Prasarana non-executive chairman also made bad jokes during a press conference relating to the incident.
"Tajuddin said both 'trains kissed each other' and was seen laughing on live telecasts," the statement claimed.
The plaintiffs are seeking general, aggravated, and special damages.
However, no specific amounts were stated in the document.
The collision between the two LRT trains led to 47 people being seriously injured and 166 others with minor injuries.
Former Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said technical faults and loss of communications between a train hostler (driver) and the operations control centre (OCC) were identified as among the factors that led to the incident.