At around noon today, 9th February 2012, a construction crane from Menara Binjai fell on to a couple of cars at Jalan Binjai, off Jalan Ampang – next to Intercontinental Hotel and Menara Citibank. I heard a loud bang but did not go out to check. Only when I heard the loud siren of the fire truck, I decided to get out and have a look.
As Malaysians are, the crowd started forming very quickly and most were already taking pictures on their mobile phones.
Crane fell on a couple of cars at Jalan Binjai, next to Citibank. Road closed.http://bit.ly/x7eGbW #klrb #kltu
— Winnie Chen-Head (@winniekepala) February 9, 2012
I also tweeted this with a picture, which was subsequently retweeted by a few other.
The building in question is Menara Binjai, which is an office building right behind the Ampang Park LRT. The crane was hovering at the top of the building. The police started barricading and closing the road to on-going traffic.
The biggest damage to a Proton Wira (I think) parked directly under the crane. Illegally parked, mind you, just beside the construction site barrier.
UPDATE : Commenter Lee pointed out that this Proton Wira belonged to one of the contractors on the site. Poor guy.
UPDATE2: The maroon Proton Satria next to it were damaged at the rear.
The secondary damage was to a brand new Lexus which was parked across the street. Illegally as well. Parts of the crane hit the first Proton, scrap metals bounced off and hit this unfortunate Lexus.
UPDATE3 : The Star report here (provided by commenter Ngtitao) cited that the Lexus is a Toyota Harrier that was hit while in motion.
The damage on the road of both cars. The piece in the middle is a metal sheet. The force of the fall was so strong that that piece of metal sheet was embedded into the tarmac on the road.
The police crime scene tapes to block off pedestrians from stepping too close. Apparently, there were still bits falling off from the crane at the top floor of the building.
The firemen were just standing around inspecting the damage for awhile. I guess they must be waiting for CSI to arrive before they can move the “evidence”.
The owner of the Lexus came out about 3 hours after the accident. I suspect he must have the biggest shock of his life. He proceeded to remove his belongings from his now damaged car. No news on the owner of the most damaged Proton. 
The crane in question, I think.
It’s now almost 4 pm and the clean-up crew is working on removing the damaged cars and scrapnel on the road.
Come rush hour traffic time, I doubt the road will be open to public. I suggest those working in town to avoid Jalan Binjai, off Jalan Ampang next to Menara Citibank. Find alternative routes, OK?
Moral of the story : DON’T PARK ILLEGALLY!!! ESPECIALLY NEXT TO A CONSTRUCTION SITE!!!
UPDATE4 : Apologies for errors in my original posts. My post was based on bystanders’ account and not verified facts by any authorities. I should have stated this clearer.
wow!
LikeLike
The wira belongs to contractor at the site. This is just another of the numerous accidents from this project as menara citibank occupants can attest
LikeLike
Oh dear. I thought so. Still, bad idea to park illegally next to construction sites.
LikeLike
if the site had numerous accidents before this, what were the professionals involved in this project doing? someone should make an enquiry into this and investigate if there was professional negligence.
LikeLike
Someone definitely should. Although, we as Malaysians always shrug it off.
LikeLike
Enforcement in Malaysia is still dubious. Contractors get a slap on the wrist for their negligence. There should be heavy fines to set a precedent
The builder at this project should be held accountable for this and the previous items fallen which damaged motorcycle, and cars.
LikeLike
What an idiot
LikeLike
Hey buster, check out the news here: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/10/nation/10712559&sec=nation
The Harrier was a moving vehicle when the accident happened. It was hit and the driver ran out. It is very bad reporting to suggest it illegally parked at the center of the road without knowing the real facts. Your post here could have implications to the victim during insurance claim. Shame on you!
LikeLike
sorry, i read n re-read both articles, the star says :
“The crane destroyed three cars near the construction site. The driver of another vehicle – a Toyota Harrier that was in motion – had a close shave when the heavy metal scrapped it slightly. ”
The above article does not mention the moving Harrier. it reports the damaged parked cars as a lexus and a proton wira.
LikeLike
Hey, idiot. Read the articles properly. The Lexus was parked and hit. The harrier was moving and grazed. Shame on you for not being able to read….
LikeLike
So you think someone who doesn’t read properly is an idiot?? You know what, there’s no Lexus and Harrier at the scene, but only one Lexus modelled Harrier. To be more specific, 4 cars were hit; one Kelisa, one Wira, one Satria and one Lexus RX (which TheStar simply named it as Harrier). Please tell me who’s the idiot?
LikeLike
Mr Smarty Pant Geoffrey, next time if you want to act like a big bro to a female blogger that you are fancying, at least do proper homework.
How I like this sentence: “Shame on you for not being able to read…. ” Hahaha!
LikeLike
Thanks for pointing this out. My post was based on bystanders reports and I didn’t claim to have the full info or fact.
I will ammend it with a disclaimer. Didn’t mean to cause anyone their insurance claim.
LikeLike