VT Singham JC:

This is an appeal by the appellants/defendants against the decision of the Sessions Court judge, Taiping wherein the respondent/plaintiff's claim against the appellants/defendants was allowed with costs on 14 September 2000 and liability was apportioned as 50:50. The appellants/defendants being dissatisfied with the decision had filed an appeal to the High Court by a notice of appeal dated 18 September 2000 against the decision on liability.

Claim

The respondent's claim against the appellants was for damages arising out of a road accident which occurred on 22 December 1994 at/about 4.30am at KM 202.2 Lebuhraya Ipoh-Butterworth in the district of Kerian. The respondent was driving m/lorry No: WBM 5061 and the 1st appellant was driving m/trailer No: KD 552.

In this appeal, the 1st appellant and the respondent will be referred to as the defendant and the plaintiff respectively. In order to arrive at a just decision it is important to set out and consider the following relevant evidence which was adduced at the trial on behalf of both the parties.

Plaintiff's Version Of The Accident (SP3) (Evidence-In-Chief Of Plaintiff)

The plaintiff's evidence was that he was driving his m/lorry No: WBM 5061 and when he arrived at the place of accident he was following a m/lorry. At the time suddenly the defendant's m/trailler No: KD 552 came out (keluar) from the left to the right without giving any signal. In his police report which was lodged the next day, he has stated that "Pada 22 Disember 1994 jam lebih kurang 3.30 pagi apabila perjalanan saya sampai di kawasan Semanggol Kerian, tidak tahu, saya memotong sebuah m/lori (T) No. tidak ingat, tiba-tiba saya terasa tayar hadapan di sebelah kiri bergoncang dengan kuat, saya tidak dapat mengawal m/lori tanker lalu terbabas ke kiri jalan dan menjunam ke dalam parit." He said that when he stated in his evidence that the defendant's m/trailler came out "keluar adalah bermakna lori yang sedang berhenti di sebelah kiri jalanraya masuk ke kanan iaitu jalan sah saya". He further stated in his evidence that as the m/lorry entered into his path, he collided into the defendant's m/trailler at the rear right side of the m/trailler. "Selepas langgar, lori saya telah bergoncang, iaitu di bahagian kiri tayar hadapan. Lepas bergoncang lori saya pergi ke sebelah kiri. Selepas perlanggaran mula-mula lori saya hendak berlanggar dengan divider tetapi saya berjaya tidak langgar dengan divider tersebut. Lepas itu saya belok ke sebelah kiri. Selepas itu lori saya terjunam ke dalam parit iaitu di sebelah kiri. Divider di bahagian di tengah-tengah jalan saya. Sebelum kemalangan, m/lori itu tidak beri apa-apa isyarat lampu sebelum masuk ke sebelah kanan jalan sah saya."

It is to be observed at this stage that based on the evidence of the plaintiff in court, it would appear that there were two m/lorries on the road at the material time, one was the m/lorry that the plaintiff was following and the other vehicle was the defendant's m/trailler which he alleged came out from the left to the right and into his path.

Plaintiff's Police Report

The contents of the plaintiff's police report which was lodged the next day and marked as exh. P4, inter alia, states as follows:

Pada 21/12/94 jam lebih kurang 9.45 mlm, saya bertolak dari Kuala Lumpur mahu pergi ke Butterworth dengan memandu m/lori Tangki No: WBM 5061 seorang diri.

Pada 22/12/94 jam lebih kurang 3.30 pagi apabila perjalanan saya sampai dikawasan Semanggol Km tidak tahu, saya memotong sebuah m/lori (T) No. tidak ingat, tiba-tiba saya terasa tayar hadapan di sebelah kiri bergoncang dengan kuat, saya tidak dapat mengawal m/lori Tanker lalu terbabas ke kiri jalan dan menjunam ke dalam parit.

Pada 22/12/94 jam lebih kurang 5.30 pagi saya telah sedar dari pengsan dan dapati saya berada di Hospital Parit, saya dimasukkan ke Hospital Parit Buntar selama satu hari.

Saya mendapat kecederaan kaki sebelah kiri lebam, telinga sebelah kiri koyak dan dijahit 15