Family finally gets death cert for man KILLED & STILL BURIED outside Penang Umno HQ

GEORGE TOWN— There was closure at last for the family of economy rice seller Lim Chin Aik when a coroner’s court here returned a misadventure verdict in the inquest to ascertain his death in June.

His sobbing widow, Lee Chai Song, appeared relieved that the ordeal to obtain a death certificate for her late husband was finally over and the family could finally move on from the nightmare.

“We are thankful and relieved that finally we will be getting his death certificate after so many months,” a tearful Lee told reporters outside the courtroom this morning after the verdict.

At the inquest hearing, Coroner Khairul Anuar Abd Halim said Lim had died between 6.45pm and 6.50pm on June 13 from a “misadventure stemming from the fall of the lightning arrester on his car”.

“This is an unprecedented case as there was no body found and no previous case to refer to but after hearing evidences presented here, the court is satisfied that Lim is driver of the wreckage that was pulled out from a crater in Macalister Road,” he said when delivering his decision.

He added that Lim was in all probability the one driving the car that was hit by a lightning arrestor that crashed onto the road during the freak storm that day.

“Evidences presented clearly showed Lim regularly used this route and drove the same car along this route to pick up his daughter from school,” he said.

The inquest was held to ascertain Lim’s death after he went missing when his car was hit by the lightning arrester along Macalister Road.

The inquest started in September and ended last week after witnesses testified on the incident and recovery of the wreckage of Lim’s car in the crater created by the fallen lightning arrester.

Lim was on a school run to pick up his 13-year-old daughter in his dark gray Honda City. That day, the lightning arrester on Umno building along the road crashed to the road below, burying Lim’s car and damaging seven other vehicles during a freak storm.

Efforts to recover his body were called off after four days owing to concerns that further excavation could affect the surrounding buildings. Lim’s body was never recovered.

Parts of Lim’s Honda City were recovered from the crater and the chassis number was matched to that of Lim’s car.

His family had asked for an inquest to ascertain the death of Lim as his body was not recovered and a death certificate could not be issued without proof of his death.  - Malay Mail