Adib’s right lung pierced by broken ribs, doctor tells inquest

Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi from Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

SHAH ALAM: A witness testifying at the inquest into the death of Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim told the Coroner’s Court here today that the late fireman’s right lung was pierced by his broken rib bones.

Pathologist Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi, from Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) where Adib’s autopsy was done, said he received a police request on Dec 18 to carry out the post-mortem.

Adib, who died at 9.41pm on Dec 17 at the National Heart Institute (IJN), was brought to HKL for the post-mortem at 12.36am on Dec 18.

Ahmad, a forensic medicine specialist, said Adib had been wearing a yellow IJN hospital gown with tubes inserted into his body.

He said his external examination found that Adib’s body was still warm, while his skin and eyeballs were yellowish, with signs of internal bleeding under his skin.

Ahmad, the 24th witness in the inquest, also told coroner Rafiah Mohamad that he noticed scabs and bruises from the right side of Adib’s chest to his right armpit.

He cited other external injuries including bruises on Adib’s hands and lower right back, a healed scab on his left elbow, and another scab on his right knee.

“There were also two pressure sores on the deceased’s body, on his right buttock and the back of his head,” Ahmad, 40, said.

He attributed these to Adib lying down for too long, adding that they were not injuries. Noting that Adib had been bedridden for three weeks while in hospital, he said this had affected his blood flow and killed his tissue cells.

Ahmad also said he noticed a haemodialysis catheter on the right side of Adib’s neck, as well as stitch sutures and needle marks on his left thorax cavity.

His internal examination found no injuries on the skin on Adib’s scalp, and no cracks on his backbone and skull base. However, he said Adib’s brain was swollen.

He added that the brain, usually grey, black, white and red, was also green because of a reaction to a methylene blue injection which is used when the body is unable to deliver oxygen.

His second, third, fourth and fifth ribs on the right were broken, with the third rib broken in three places and the fourth in two.

Referring to these in court from a CT scan taken before the post-mortem, Ahmad said the broken tips of the fourth and fifth ribs had pierced Adib’s right lung.

Here, the court broke for lunch.

Ahmad has held his post since July 2013. He carries out post-mortems at the request of courts or the police, as well as clinical forensic exams.

He was present during a clinical forensic examination of Adib while he was at IJN by his superior, Dr Mohd Syah Mahmud.

He was also involved in the post-mortem of deputy public prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais.

Another doctor previously said he had heard cracking sounds in Adib’s ribcage while examining him, which he attributed to a fracture of rib bones. A lung injury was also identified.

Dr Nantha Kumaren Muthu from the Subang Jaya Medical Centre where Adib was first taken said the cause of the lung injury was likely major blunt force trauma.

However, another doctor there said the injury could also have been a crush injury, or caused by a fall from a height, acceleration or assault, although he added that this was unlikely.

The inquest into Adib’s death was called by the government this year amid conflicting claims on the cause of the fireman’s death after he showed up at the Seafield riots.

Adib, 24, was part of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services sent from the Subang Jaya fire and rescue station to the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple on Nov 27. He is believed to have been attacked there.

Today is the 16th day of the inquest.

Ahmad was questioned today by deputy public prosecutor and conducting officer Hamdan Hamzah, who is part of a three-member team from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

The inquest continues this afternoon with Ahmad taking the stand once more. - FMT