PADAWAN: A 55-year-old man died after he is believed to have slipped and fell down the stairs in a rental house at Mile 7, Jalan Penrissen last Friday (Aug 27).
The paramedics, upon receiving an emergency call at 9.35pm, rushed to the scene and pronounced the victim, identified as Jerry Bigali, a lorry driver from Kota Samarahan, dead.
Padawan deputy police chief DSP Lim Jaw Shyong, who confirmed the case, said investigations found that prior to the incident, Jerry had a quarrel with his 57-year-old girlfriend because he wanted to go out despite just arrived at their rented room.
While in the room, the victim’s girlfriend reprimanded him for consuming a carbonated drink as she feared that his asthma would get worse.
“Following the argument, the house caretaker, 22, advised them not to quarrel and cause embarrassment as the rental house is also occupied with other tenants.
“The victim then went out of the room and head towards the stairs. While his girlfriend was talking to the caretaker, they heard a loud thud.
“Both of them rushed to where the sound was and found the man lying at the foot of the stairs,” he said.
According to the victim’s sibling, the victim had high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes.
He was also briefly admitted to the emergency ward due to chronic asthma.
Lim added that investigations found that there were no signs of foul play at the scene and the case is being classified as sudden death.
The victim’s body was taken to Sarawak General Hospital for post-mortem.
