Six policemen seriously injured in road accident

JAKARTA (JP): Six freshly graduated police sergeants suffered severe injuries while others were slightly wounded when their speeding truck overturned at Puri Kembangan area in West Jakarta on Wednesday morning.

A preliminary police investigation said the accident took place at 9:15 a.m. and was due to the truck driver losing control of the steering wheel.

All of the officers were members of the West Jakarta Mobile Brigade police.

According to Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis, the truck had 25 people on board and was heading from the West Jakarta Mayoralty office at Puri Kembangan district to the personnel's headquarters on Jl. Gatot Subroto.

The officers left the mayoralty office after taking part in "a routine morning brief" there, he said.

"The truck was speeding and overturned at a sharp bend near the Puri Kembangan housing complex," Lubis explained.

According to one of the wounded policemen, Second Sgt. Anton STB, the driver was speeding at least 40 kilometers per hour.

"I warned the driver to lower the speed as he didn't really know the area. But he ignored my call and so here we are," he told reporters at the City Police health clinic.

At the clinic, none of the slightly wounded officers were seen in pain or stress. Some even chatted and joked with each other while laying on the beds. They were told to rest until the West Jakarta Police car picked them up.

"It's a blessing in disguise. (Because of the accident) we now can take a nap, which is a rare thing. We only hope that the joint parade of the political parties (today) will run well and safe so we won't be called back to the streets," Anton said, which was immediately agreed to by his fellow sergeants.

The truck driver, First Sgt. Rusdiyanto, was not wounded and has been put under intensive questioning at the police precinct.

The six seriously wounded officers were identified as Firdaus, Wahyu Guntoro, Abdul Rahman, Hari Indriono, Budi Santoso and Dede Syarif.

All casualties were first sent to nearby Graha Medika Hospital before being sent to the city police health clinic. The six seriously wounded victims went to Soekanto Police Hospital at Kramat Jati in East Jakarta.

"Most of the six officers suffered brain concussions and bone fractures," Lubis said. (emf)