Garbage truck driver imprisoned for 5 weeks after negligent right turn, seriously injuring motorcyclist

SINGAPORE: A 62-year-old garbage truck driver made a life-changing mistake of neglecting road regulations and collided with an electric bicycle when he did an illegal right turn. With this, the 36-year-old e-bike rider was seriously injured and fell into a coma right on the spot. The victim was also hospitalised for 51 days due to multiple fractures. 

As a consequence of his actions, the garbage truck rider was sentenced to five weeks in jail, and his driver’s license was suspended for five years. He also faces one charge of negligent driving that caused bodily harm to others. 

Case investigation

The case details revealed that the suspect was driving a garbage truck along Jalan Bukit Bintang towards Queensway. At an intersection without traffic lights, he decided to turn right, going to Jalan Kilang Barat. Unfortunately, an e-bike rider was riding in the far left lane in the opposite direction. The suspect should have yielded but failed to notice the rider and was not able to slow down. Due to this, the e-bike rider was unable to hit the brake and crashed into the garbage truck. The e-bike rider lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital for immediate medical assistance.

In court, it was revealed that the weather was good, the roads were dry, traffic was moderate, and visibility on the road was clear at the time of the accident, which can show that the fault was made by the garbage truck driver himself. 

The suspect made an early guilty plea, and the prosecution requested that the judge sentence him to five to eight weeks in jail and suspend his license for five years. Furthermore, the prosecution did not apply for a damages injunction since a civil claim was already filed by the victim. 

In similar news about vehicular accidents, there was a report where a 29-year-old female driver lost control of her car inside a private residential area, causing the vehicle to overturn. 

Concerned citizens took the initiative to rescue the driver, taking her to the hospital to seek medical assistance. 

Read more about the story here.