Man killed in hit-and-run on trip to fulfill Thaipusam vow

K Saravanan, 45, had walked three times from Seremban to Batu Caves to fulfill his vows for Thaipusam, and on Thursday, set off from Seremban in a group of 45 Hindu devotees, for his third trip to Batu Caves.

However, he was not able to complete the third trip when tragedy struck.

Saravanan was among three fatalities in a hit-and-run accident when a black BMW car crashed into the group as they were walking towards Kuala Lumpur on the emergency lane of the Seremban-bound lane of the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway today.

His brother, K Sivapragasham, 41, said his brother vowed to walk from Seremban to Batu Caves for Thaipusam and together with others in the group left the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Seremban for the walk at 6pm last Thursday.

He said they also carried with them milk pots for the prayer rituals.

"This is his third year doing so and I did not expect it to also be his last," he said when met by Bernama at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital today.

He said Saravanan left a wife and an 18-year-old daughter.

The other two killed in the incident were C Kannan, 51, and S Papa, 53, all from Seremban.

Three people were also injured in the crash. They are P Mageswaran, 40, D Darrshen, 18, and S Anjalai Devi, 44. They have been sent to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM) for treatment.

Sivapragasham said he did not join the group in the walk to Batu Caves because he had to prepare breakfast for them.

He said he rushed to the scene after being informed of the accident and saw his brother lying on the road with the mouth bleeding.

Meanwhile at HUKM, Mageswaran, who injured his hip in the accident, is still traumatised with what happened.

His wife, V Sujatha, 41, told Bernama that her husband "is finding hard to accept the fact that his friend is dead. But at the same time, I am relieved that he sustained minor injuries."

She said her husband called her when the incident happened at about 8am.

"When I got the call from my husband, I immediately rushed to the hospital from Port Dickson," she said.

S. Parameswary, 33, whose sister, Anjalai Devi, sustained serious head and body injuries, said she was informed about the accident at about 11am by a friend and rushed to the hospital from Seremban Jaya.

- Bernama