Recalled witness reiterates van door not cause of Adib's injuries

ADIB INQUEST | Kuala Lumpur Hospital forensic expert Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi today disputed the theory put forth by another expert witness that the triangular bruising on deceased firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s arm was caused by an emergency rescue vehicle’s door.

Testifying during the 32nd day of the inquest into the cause of Adib’s death, Ahmad Hafizam said the indentation on the Fire Department's Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) vehicle did not correspond to the bruising on the lower right arm of the deceased.

He, however, acknowledged that the shape of the indentation could appear triangular when photographed from a certain angle thus leading to such "confusion".

“As an expert on post-mortem, I feel it is my duty to provide an explanation,” he told coroner Rofiah Mohamad at the Shah Alam High Court today.

Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi 

He said this was based on a reexamination of the van and experiments he conducted on April 12. The witness said based on the checks, other injuries on the front and back of Adib’s body would have been bigger and longer had they been caused by the latter being caught in between the force of the door closing and the van’s body.

He elaborated: “Therefore, if this theory (of the van door) is to be used, the injuries should be from the top (of the body) to the abdomen but the clinical pictures are clear, below, there are no injuries.

“The injuries are only concentrated on the right chest, (and) not on the right nipple or abdomen or below (the body).”

He was referring to the previous testimony by the 29th witness, retired senior forensic and pathology consultant Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid.

Ahmad Hafizam, who conducted the autopsy on the deceased, was the inquest’s 24th witness and had been recalled to testify today due to a dispute between two experts regarding the mechanism of the injuries sustained by Adib which resulted in his death.

Adib, a member of the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Department's EMRS unit, was seriously injured during the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple riot in Subang Jaya last Nov 27 and died on Dec 17 at the National Heart Institute.

Shahrom had on April 17 rejected the theory that Adib’s injuries were caused by him being falling onto a kerb.

Instead, the former head of UKM's Forensics Department said the pattern of injury on Adib’s arm was caused by the impact of the EMRS van as Adib was pulled out and the van door being kicked by alleged attackers.

Shahrom Abdul Wahid

His opinion, however, contradicted that of two other forensics experts from Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Ahmad Hafizam and Dr Mohd Shah Mahmood.

Testifying further, Ahmad Hafizam today also opined that Shahrom had erred in his calculations saying that Adib falling could not have exerted enough pressure on Adib’s ribs for them to crack as a 3,300 Newton force was needed for such an injury.

The court then adjourned the inquest to Tuesday from which it will proceed to May 17. The inquest coordinating officer today was Faten Hadni Khairuddin.  - Mkini