Inquest to seek engineer's opinion on force that hit Adib

INQUEST | With two forensic doctors offering their own takes on the application of a physics formula, the inquest into the late firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim's death is likely to call a mechanical engineer in order to provide another expert opinion.

The disputed matter involved two applications of the Newton second law of motion to calculate the amount of force that hit Adib on the night of the Seafield Seri Mahariamman temple riot last Nov 27.

Medical forensic expert Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi (above) defended his view that retired UKM pathology professor Prof Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid should have included the weight of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) van in estimating the amount of force generated.

"It is not only a must (harus), but it's compulsory (wajib)," said Hafizam, the inquest's 24th witness, in his ninth appearance on the stand before Coroner Rofiah Mohamad.

Throughout his testimony, Hafizam repeatedly said he was not a physics expert but offered his counter-argument based on a calculation that took into account the weight of the EMRS van.

Contrary to Shahrom's argument, Hafizam said when taking into account the weight of the reversing EMRS van, a larger amount of force would be generated upon impact with Adib, enough to cause injuries found in the post-mortem.

"We cannot just take into account (the impact) from how the victim fell.

"And even then the victim did not fall on his own," he said in reference to Shahrom's suggestions that Adib could have been pulled out rather than voluntarily exiting the van.

Shahrom, the inquest's 29th witness, last month applied a similar formula - without taking into account the weight of the EMRS van - and suggested that it would not have enough force upon impact to send Adib hurtling onto a nearby road kerb.

He was rebutting the conclusion reached by Hafizam and Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) forensic department head Dr Mohd Shah Mahmood that Adib had, by his own volition, come out of the van through the front left passenger side, was hit from the back by the reversing vehicle’s open front left passenger door, sent hurtling forwards, and finally landed on his chest on a roadside kerb.

Meanwhile, lawyer Syazlin Mansor also attempted to grill Hafizam today over what she claimed were inaccuracies in his own calculation.

“When I show you your mistake, I don’t intend to shame you. I am just saying you are confusing the court,” she said, adding that she was not asking the doctor to fix the formula.

Hafizam then reiterated it was never his intent to confuse the court.

"We are in an inquest, not a trial. By right, I could have gone home and rested but I did something which I thought could assist the court.

"I have repeatedly said that I am not a physics expert and I am not here to be shamed in this court," stressed Hafizam.

Syazlin had yesterday highlighted possible errors in Hafizam's calculations and the forensic expert said he took it as a request for him to correct the figures and present them before the inquest.

At the end of today's proceedings, Syazlin requested for a mechanical engineer to be brought in as an expert witness to clarify the calculations done by Hafizam and Shahrom.

Inquest conducting officer Fatin Hadni Khairuddin did not object to Syazlin's request.

Coroner Rofiah Mohamad sets May 27 and May 28 as the next dates for the inquest.

Adib passed away at the National Heart Institute on Dec 17 at 9.41pm after succumbing to injuries sustained on the night of the riots. The inquest was ordered after two conflicting versions of the cause of his death emerged.

One version claimed he was hit by a vehicle while the other said he was beaten up by a mob.  - Mkini