Town : Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia

The Incident

On 24/03/2024, at around 10:20 a.m., my wife was driving a BYD Seal and had dropped off our son at the Stadium Basketball court. She was on her way home, passing Junction 5, when an incident occurred on Jalan Sultan Iskandar, just after the bus stop.

The BYD Seal was in the left lane and had just accelerated to a speed of 30-40km/h after departing from the previous traffic light. At this moment, a Hilux truck coming from the opposite side of the road hit the Seal car after hitting a tree in the divider. The impact caused the BYD Seal to turn 90 degrees to the left, while the Hilux truck went straight into the roadside.

Reflection:

1. The above is the actual reporting provided by my wife without summary and comments added, this is the same story we told the police. as of 27th March 2024, the Hilux owner has not lodged a police report and we needed to proceed with insurance claim with only our own police report.
2. We are blessed, both vehicles occupants, to have no major injuries. all drivers and passengers were able to walk. The hilux driver was sent to the hospital for some bleeding and possibly neck sprain (won’t speculate further).
3. Trauma is truly unavoidable, while my wife was the one who narrowly escaped death, i believe the hilux driver had an even worst trauma ahead of her, having skidded, hit a tree (and broke the tree), flew across the divider, and nearly killed another driver. I pray that she will be alright and may her wounds be taken care of by now.
4. I have a great employer. The culture is one that genuinely cares for its people down to the core of its systems. On the day of the incident, i had received countless messages offering support in whatever means possible from colleagues and leadership. My leaders understood what it means to be a friend and human, beyond just work.
5. My wife, while normal 90% of the time, she still occasionally breaks down and cries, shaken. I just want to be there for those moments. I genuinely appreciate the flexibility the company has given to my situation where I wasn’t even the driver. To work from home and provide support and care for my family in the times that were “borderline.” I am conscious of how this may not be seen as “important” to organizations who do not have such deep roots in care. Thank you to my friends and leaders at Shell MDS (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Some Pictures (Not Graphic)