SLIM RIVER: A tanker lorry driver was fined RM7,000 in default 12 months in jail by the magistrate's court here today for careless and inconsiderate driving, which resulted in the deaths of two people in an accident last month.
P. Yuaraj, 30, pleaded guilty before magistrate Khairun Neesha Raj Mohamed to committing the offence while driving a Volvo lorry tanker at KM121 of Jalan Ipoh-Kuala Lumpur (northbound) here at 10.58pm on March 29.
According to the charge sheet, Yuaraj was charged with inconsiderate driving by making a U-turn in a non-designated area.
The offence falls under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a fine of between RM5,000 and RM10,000 and liable to jail of up to 12 months, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Nur Diyana Zubir prosecuted.
Yuaraj was represented by a lawyer, Amani Williams Hunt Abdullah, from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
It was reported that two 19-year-old women died when the motorcycle they were on crashed into a lorry near Kampung Kelawar.
Mimi Nurwaheeda died at the scene. Nur Nabila passed away at Slim River Hospital.
Muallim district police chief, Superintendent Mohd Hasni Mohd Nasir said Yuaraj fled the scene but was arrested near the Simpang Ampat toll plaza in Melaka on April 19.
Hasni said Yuaraj admitted to causing the traffic accident and had sent a resignation letter to his employer 24 hours after the incident.
Following the investigation, police seized a bulk tanker in Kerling, Selangor.
Checks on the vehicle revealed dents. Paint from the road divider at the crash scene was also found on the lorry's body.