Malaysian law student who failed exams 3 times sets himself on fire, tries to get hit by moving truck

After failing his exams for the third time, a Malaysian law student attempted to take his own life on Monday.

First, he set himself ablaze. Then, he tried getting run over by oncoming road traffic. But the 24-year-old ended up causing an accident instead.

Surveillance images show the student dousing himself in petrol at a kiosk in Segamat, Johor, before setting himself on fire with a lighter.

In another video circulating on social media, a burning man is seen running out of the petrol station before another man put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.

The police said the rescuer is the owner of a petrol station in Jalan Ibrahim, just opposite the Segamat District Police Headquarters.

The student then ran to the middle of a road and sat down, thinking that he would be hit by an oncoming truck.

But the truck driver made an emergency break, leading to an accident as another car collided into the truck’s rear, the police said.

The student was taken to a hospital, the police added. Doctors said he suffered 70 per cent burns on his body.

He died on May 2 after spending two weeks in hospital, according to local media.

Investigations are ongoing, the police said, but they believe the student attempted suicide as he was ashamed of failing his exams repeatedly, and could not face his family members.

His father told local media that he had failed his exams for the Certificate of Legal Practice required to practise law in Malaysia, and had apologised just before he lost consciousness.

For attempting to kill himself, the man faced a prison term of up to a year, and a fine, or both.