BADUNG, BALINEWS – A 37-year-old worker identified by the initials SE died after being crushed by eight sheets of 10-millimeter-thick glass while glass panels were being transferred between vehicles on Jalan Goa Gong No. 1, near Goa Gong Temple in Jimbaran, South Kuta, Badung Regency, on Tuesday afternoon, October 20, 2026.
The incident occurred at approximately 4:38 p.m. local time. The victim was working with several other laborers to transfer glass sheets from a transport vehicle to a replacement vehicle when the accident happened. An initial assessment suggested that an imbalance in the load may have caused the glass sheets to topple to the right.
According to witness Muhammad Faqih, the driver of the transport vehicle, the group left their workplace warehouse at around 12:30 p.m. in an Isuzu Traga pickup truck with registration number DK 8838 DS. The vehicle was carrying 16 glass sheets: eight measuring 10 millimeters thick and another eight measuring 6 millimeters thick.
When the vehicle reached the uphill road near Goa Gong Temple, it experienced a mechanical problem after its clutch lining wore out. With assistance from another vehicle, the truck managed to reach the upper section of the road, where it was parked on the roadside.
Faqih then contacted the company to request a replacement vehicle and additional workers to help transfer the glass sheets.
During the transfer operation, Faqih and five other workers, including the victim, moved the eight 6-millimeter-thick glass sheets positioned on the left side of the vehicle. The remaining eight sheets, each 10 millimeters thick, were still positioned on the right side.
While the workers were securing the transferred glass sheets onto the replacement vehicle, SE began loosening the straps holding the remaining glass sheets in place.
Faqih said he heard the victim scream, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Upon realizing what had happened, he and the other workers rushed to lift the glass sheets that had fallen on the victim.
Of the eight glass sheets that struck SE, three shattered, while five remained intact. Each sheet measured approximately 1.35 meters wide and 1.75 meters long.
An examination at the scene revealed open wounds on the upper part of the victim’s head, as well as an open wound extending from around his right eye toward his ear.
At approximately 7:10 p.m., the victim was transported by ambulance from the Al Falah Buana Indah prayer room to Prof. Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar.
The initial assessment indicated that an imbalance in the vehicle’s load may have contributed to the accident. The eight thicker glass sheets remaining on the right side of the vehicle were suspected of creating an uneven load, causing the sheets to topple and strike the victim.
The account is based on witness testimony and the incident report. Further information from Denpasar City Police regarding the investigation and the definitive cause of the accident was not included in the available information.
