IN THE KNOW
Risk management Malaysia – Roadside tree risks
When you’re in the business of risk management, Malaysia accidents and disasters stand out. We were saddened to hear about the man who was killed after a tree fell on his car at Jalan Sultan Ismail in early May, and horrified to hear about another tree falling just a few days later. As you can imagine incidents like this have insurance implications, so let’s take a look.
TRAGEDY IN KUALA LUMPUR
The first accident saw a huge tree crash down on seventeen vehicles outside the Concorde Hotel after a violent storm. The man who died wasn’t the only casualty. A 26 year old Malaysian man was also injured, along with a 72 year old Swedish woman who was hailing the young man’s car when the tree fell.
27 staff from Titiwangsa, Jalan Tun Razak, and Sentul Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue departments extracted two people from a car before confirming one of them was dead. The injured 26 year old Malay man was treated by paramedics at the site before being rushed to hospital, along with the elderly foreign national.
A total of 17 vehicles were involved, some of which were trapped under the fallen tree as drivers tried to escape. Hotel staff having lunch nearby helped people who were stuck in their vehicles to escape. The tree caused serious damage to vehicles travelling along the busy downtown street, and to a bus stop. There was so much debris that the monorail track above Jalan Sultan Ismail was damaged and the service temporarily suspended. The traffic jams were chaotic.
A SECOND TREE FALLS A FEW DAYS LATER
Less than a week later another fallen tree brought KL’s central business district to a standstill, again after a violent thunderstorm. This time it happened at around 3.30 in the afternoon in front of Menara Prestige on Jalan Pinang, within walking distance of the first accident and near Petronas Twin Towers. While three cars and five motorbikes were damaged, nobody was hurt. But a police car escorting Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh had a narrow escape.
WHY ARE TREES FALLING IN KL?
The trees along the road, most of which are large and old, are believed to be the responsibility of the local council, and a council spokesman said they’d make a statement ‘as soon as possible’. Questions are being asked about whether the authorities had done enough to prevent trees falling. Did they carry out routine tree inspections and if not, why not?
Experts have pointed out that many urban trees are at risk of being uprooted because they don’t have much space the grow and thrive, there isn’t much soil for them, they’re a type of tree that isn’t really suited to being grown along roads, and as a result of all this the root systems can’t absorb enough water, ending up weak. In contrast trees in forests and suburbs don’t face these problems, growing tall and healthy with minimal risk of toppling. Bigger storms created by climate change could make things worse.
THE INSURANCE IMPLICATIONS OF FALLING TREES
Because motor insurance is mandatory, many people don’t really understand the cover. They just buy it because they have to, then file and forget it. In fact, comprehensive motor insurance can cover the vehicle repair costs. But basic car insurance doesn’t cover damage from natural disasters like floods, landslides, earthquakes, hurricanes, storms, and fallen trees unless you extend your comprehensive motor policy to cover ‘special perils’. Just bear in mind it can be an expensive extension and you can’t extend a non-comprehensive motor policy in the same way.
If the council is found liable for negligence, they’ll probably have a public liability insurance policy to pay out to cover their financial responsibilities. If the loss was caused by council roadworks, those affected can claim directly to the council for damage or loss.
If property was damaged, the owners’ commercial property policies should pay out. And if the inured people have personal accident insurance, it should pay out. When an insured person is injured, the insurance payout will help them pay for recovery. If there’s a death the insurance payout goes to the person’s loved ones to help with any financial difficulties they experience.
Let’s hope no more trees fall in KL. It just goes to show, the unexpected can and does happen, no matter how safe we think we are.
Sources:
https://themalaysianreserve.com/2024/05/07/man-killed-after-tree-falls-on-car-at-jalan-sultan-ismail/
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/05/13/fallen-tree-brings-traffic-to-standstill-along-kls-jalan-pinang-less-than-a-week-after-jalan-sultan-ismail-incident/134097
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/concerns-over-tree-stability-along-100841037.html