Expert Calls Experiment To Determine Adib S Injuries Substandard

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INQUEST | Dr Shahrom Abd Wahid (photo, above), a retired forensic pathologist, told the Coroner's Court in Shah Alam the methodology used to demonstrate how firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim was likely hit by an Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) van is wrong
The former head of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Forensics Department said the person who conducted the experiment in front of coroner Rofiah Mohamad last May lacked experience and the result of his work was "substandard"
"Overall, my comment is that the person who conducted this experiment lacked experience because the methodology is wrong
"You look for something in the wrong place, of course, you will never find it."If you want to conduct an experiment, you cannot be lackadaisical. You have to know the 'problem statement'," he said
Shahrom explained that in Adib's case, the "problem statement" was whether a certain object could cause injuries to the body
"So, we have to find which object was likely in contact with the body."Shahrom was responding to Adib's family lawyer Syazlin Mansor on whether he agreed with the experiment conducted by Kuala Lumpur Hospital forensic expert Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi
The demonstration was aimed at strengthening Ahmad Hafizam's theory that the broken ribs suffered by Adib were due to being hit by an EMRS van during the riots
However, Shahrom insisted that his rough calculation, which took into account the mass and the acceleration of the van, showed that the force generated was not enough to break Adib's ribs
"In his (Hafizam's) experiment, the whole force from the van was transferred to Adib. This is wrong."He stood by his finding that Adib likely sustained the chest injuries when his body was hit by the side of the EMRS van's door which was evident by certain patterns on the door that matched that the wounds
Shahrom said he went the extra mile to conduct his experiment at the scene where a road kerb was said to be the "primary suspect" that caused Adib's injuries but came up with a negative result
"Negative finding is (still) a finding. I reject 100 percent that the chest injuries were caused by the road kerb," he said
Shahrom also lashed out at Ahmad Hafizam's experiment which showed when a person's body is pushed against the side of the door, it produced a long vertical mark from the chest to the abdomen
"At a certain angle, you can sustain the injuries only when your chest tilts forward. In this case, that is what likely happened to the victim."Shahrom also refuted claims that the scratch marks on Adib's back could have been produced when he alighted the vehicle
"I asked firefighters if they had sustained such scratches when alighting fire vehicles? The answers were no
"In my opinion, when the victim was dragged by force, that's when the marks were produced."Adib died at the National Heart Institute on Dec 17, 2018, after succumbing to injuries sustained on the night of riot in front of a temple in USJ
The inquest was ordered after two conflicting versions of the cause of his death emerged
One version claimed he was hit by a vehicle while the other said he was beaten by a mob
Other than Syazlin, Adib's family is also represented by Suzana Atan, Mazlifah Ayib, Fadzilatul Isma Ahmad Rafngah, and Afiq Zainal Abidin
Faten Hadni Khairuddin is the deputy public prosecutor. -Mkini

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