It’s normal to make mistakes. Sometimes, it can be an innocent slip-up – but at other times, our mistake could also cause more damage than anticipated. That was what happened to this elderly driver who drove into a petrol station convenience store in Melaka after mistaking the accelerator for the brake pedal.
The incident occurred when the 69-year-old farmer, Jaafar Yusof, was at the petrol station with his two grandchildren, aged 12 and 13. According to a statement by Melaka Tengah District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Christopher Patit, the man had just finished refuelling his car and was getting back into the vehicle to continue the journey.
However, as he was about to leave the station, the farmer mistook the accelerator for the brake pedal when shifting to the D gear. The mistake caused him to crash his Hyundai Sonata into the petrol station convenience store, smashing five glass panels. According to the store manager, thankfully, there were no injuries reported from inside the store. “It’s a good thing that there were no customers in the store when the accident happened,” he said.
Due to the impact, the driver sustained a leg injury while his grandchildren suffered minor injuries. The three of them have been taken to the hospital for further treatment. Authorities are now investigating the case under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act for driving in a negligent manner.
At the time of writing, the total cost for the damage done has yet to be confirmed. For now, we hope that the man and his grandchildren have a speedy recovery.
Adleena contributed to this article.
