Fatal Accident Kills 12 in Indramayu, Truck Driver Named Suspect

The Indramayu Police in West Java have named a wing box truck driver, identified only by the initial A, as a suspect in a traffic accident on the Pantura route that resulted in 12 fatalities. Indramayu Police Chief AKBP Mochamad Fajar Gemilang stated on Friday that the suspect was named after investigators completed their inquiry together with the West Java Regional Police Traffic Directorate and the National Police Traffic Corps. “We have named one suspect, the driver of the wing box truck with the initial A. The suspect has now been detained,” he said. The suspect is charged under Article 310 paragraph (4) of Law Number 22 of 2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation for alleged negligence causing death. The determination of the suspect was made after investigators processed the crime scene, examined witnesses, and analysed the accident using the Traffic Accident Analysis method. “The investigation results show that the wing box truck driver made no braking attempt before hitting the vehicle in front of him,” he said. The accident occurred on Sunday, 12 July, when a pickup truck carrying a wedding entourage stopped in the right lane of the Pantura route to make a U-turn. The police noted that the wing box truck driven by the suspect was travelling from Jakarta towards Cirebon when it slammed into the back of the pickup. The impact pushed the pickup into the opposite lane. At the same time, an open-bed truck coming from the opposite direction could not avoid the pickup and struck its front. “In the incident several days ago, there were 12 victims who died,” he said. As a follow-up to the evaluation, the Indramayu Police together with relevant agencies have begun closing illegal U-turns along the Pantura route in Indramayu. He mentioned that along the 68-kilometre stretch of the Pantura route in Indramayu, there are 220 U-turn points, consisting of 79 legal and 141 illegal ones. The authorities have ensured that all 141 illegal U-turns will be permanently closed to improve traffic safety and prevent similar accidents.