Eddie Ng Tien Chee was his way from Kuala Lumpur to Kajang when his car crashed at KM11.7 of the Grand Saga Highway. — Picture via Facebook/Eddie Ng Tien Chee

KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — The Nissan X-Trail SUV driven by Eddie Ng Tien Chee had hit a highway cleaning truck after he tried to overtake it, resulting in the DAP state lawmaker’s death, the Kajang police chief said today.

Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Dzaffir Mohd Yussof said police are investigating the incident under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless or dangerous driving.

“From the incident, we believed that Ng tried to overtake a car but didn’t make it, so he hit the back left side of the highway cleaning truck owned by Grand Saga Highway and died on the spot,” he told reporters after attending a Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara ceremony at the Police Training Academy here.

Another motorist who was driving a Perodua Myvi in the middle lane of the highway had witnessed the incident and was also a casualty, the policeman said.

According to the witness’ account, police understood that Ng was behind the Myvi and tried to overtake it from the right and return to the middle lane.

But before he could do that, he hit the highway truck, which was moving slowly forward on the fast lane while cleaning the road.

Ahmad Dzaffir also said oil was spilt on the road after the crash, addressing rumours spreading through social media that Ng’s car skidded on the road because of an oil patch.

Ng, 40, was his way from Kuala Lumpur to Kajang when his car crashed at M11.7 of the Grand Saga Highway. He perished at the scene from head injuries in an accident at 12.30am today.

His body is at the Serdang Hospital where a post-mortem examination is being conducted.

In the May 9 general election, Ng had defeated Barisan Nasional’s Lim Chin Wah and Mohamad Ibrahim Ghazali from PAS by a majority of 35,538 votes.

His death will trigger the second by-election for Selangor. The first by-election, set for August 4, was prompted by the July 2 death of PKR assemblyman for Sungai Kandis, Mat Shuhaimi Shafie, from cancer of the lymphoma.