A heavy vehicle driver has been jailed for seven weeks and banned from driving for five years after his negligent driving caused a head-on collision between his prime mover and a lorry, resulting in the death of the lorry driver.
The accident occurred on May 7, 2017, when the accused lost control while trying to overtake a stationary vehicle. He veered right, went over the divider and hit the lorry head-on, causing both vehicles to be flung on the roadside. The incident happened along Tuas Crescent towards Tuas West drive on a drizzly morning.
45-year-old Chinese national Wang Linzhong has been given a seven-week jail sentence on Tuesday, January 30 after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of mechanical engineer Lua Chak Liang.
The prime mover knocked over a nearby wall partially and hit the lorry. The accident was captured in parts in the lorry's dashboard camera.
Lua suffered fatal injuries and was admitted to the hospital, where he was declared dead within two hours. Wang was put on hospitalization leave for five days, though he did not show any injuries.
The accused did not bring a lawyer to represent him in court. Showing remorse, he apologized to Lua's next of kin during the hearing.
The maximum sentence for causing death by negligence in Singapore is two years of jail time or fine or both.
Singaporeans have gained a reputation of being rash drivers and much more prone to cause accidents than drivers in the US, UK, Japan and Canada.
Even though Singapore is known for its law-abiding citizens, car accidents in the city-state are quite common. Continuous awareness programs and speed restrictions have considerably reduced the number of fatalities due to car crashes in the country. However, every day reports are obtained about people being injured in some sort of road accident, adding to the list of unfortunate victims.
