JASIN: A couple's plans to hold an aqiqah ceremony for their youngest child, who is just two months old, turned tragic when they were involved in a six-vehicle collision yesterday.
The aqiqah is a religious ritual performed by Muslims when a child is born and usually involves the sacrifice of an animal and the sharing of meat to the poor as a way of celebrating new life and showing gratitude to Allah.
The accident which happened at 11am at KM184 along the North South Expressway (PLUS) Southbound resulted in the death of the couple's youngest child, Mohamad Sufyan Mohamad Shahizwan.
The baby sustained severe injuries to his head and body and died at 2.55pm while being treated at Hospital Melaka.
Jasin district police chief, Deputy Superintendent Ahmad Jamil Radzi, said that the accident involved a trailer transporting cars, a lorry, three cars and a pick-up truck from the north that was heading down south.
Initial investigations revealed that the accident happened when the trailer driven by a 39-year-old man lost control before ramming into the Perodua Ativa driven by Mohamad Shahizwan Abd Hamid, 35, who was with his wife Nurmadiha Nisa Suhaimi, 34, and their two sons along with the victim.
"The impact of the collision left their baby who was in the child seat in the back with severe injuries, while Mohamad Shahizwan who was driving, his wife and another child who is three years-old managed to escape unhurt.
"The trailer also crashed into four other vehicles, a lorry, a Ford Ranger, a Perodua Myvi and a Mercedes Benz. All the drivers and three passengers escaped injury and are safe," he said in a statement.
Ahmad Jamil said that when the accident took place, Mohamad Shahizwan who is also a traffic investigations officer attached with the Putrajaya district police station, was on the way to Kluang, Johor where they were going to hold an aqiqah ceremony for their baby.
"So far police have taken a blood sample of the driver of the trailer for chemical analysis, though a urine test is yet to be carried out as he is being detained in hospital after he was found to have low blood pressure," he said.
