Hundreds Went to The Funeral of Penang Woman Who Was Crushed By a Container

In light of tragedy, it’s a comfort, albeit fleeting, when people show empathy and also share their love.

This was what happened when hundreds of people in Penang, Malaysia, came out to pay their respects to Lee Zi Rou, 21, who lost her life in a tragic accident involving a cargo container that had gotten loose after reckless driving by a lorry driver.

These attendees included her relatives, colleagues and school friends, who all arrived at Lee’s family residence in Bukit Mertajam. Most of them were there before the funeral ceremony started at around 10 am on 17 Nov to pay their respects.

Steven Lim, Malaysian Human Resources Minister, also visited the family the day before (16 Nov) to offer his condolences. During the visit, he confirmed that in light of the incident, the family will be receiving assistance from the Social Security Organisation.

Amongst the hundreds of visitors who came to pay respects, many who knew Lee described her as a jovial and friendly person.

Aireen Ayu Harudin, 36, and TM Unifi manager, described her as an an employee who was  efficient and hardworking.

“She was a friendly person not only to me but to everyone she knew,” she said.

The Funeral Rites

The funeral service was conducted in accordance with Buddhist rites.

Pictures covered by The Star depicted a massive, brown teddy bear placed atop the casket, which was a huge plushie that the victim’s mother gave her. The plushie was a gift for attaining a driving license two years ago.

“Since [I gave it to her], the teddy bear has always been with her,” said Lim Sheau Ling, the victim’s mother, in between tears. “I don’t want her to be alone there.

“I hope the teddy bear, which was with her during her life, will accompany her.”

The bear was kept in Lee’s car right up until her death that day.

After the funeral rites, the cortege left the house for the Berapit Chinese Cemetery and Crematorium, where Lee was cremated.

Legal Action 

Lim, 42, has declared that she wants legal action taken against the lorry driver and his company to seek justice for her daughter.

Lee passed away on 13 Nov when her car had been crushed by a cargo container on Jalan Bukit Tengah junction, on her way to work.

The driver of the trailer lorry had been trying to negotiate a left turn, and lost control while doing so.

The container had then toppled over and crushed Lee’s car, almost flattening the driver’s side of the cat, where Lee was.

In her last moments, Lee had made a call to her mother via mobile phone, and gasped, “Mummy! It hurts so much!”

Lim had frantically asked her where she was but was met with silence. The victim passed away six minutes later.

The container had also slammed into the driver’s side of another car. The driver of that vehicle, Tan Chou Theng, 25, was luckily rescued by passers-by.

Tan is currently hospitalised with serious injuries.

Lee is survived by her mother and her three sisters.

An Unlucky Week

Unfortunately, this is not the only incident involving a massive accident with lorries in the last few days in Malaysia.

On 15 Nov, another incident occured in Kluang, Johor, where a container lorry driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a highway divider.

The back of the lorry was hit by two other vehicles.  A 33-year-old Malaysian man has passed away and a married couple who were in the car are recovering from their injuries.