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Man who texted wife to drive safely dies in Jurong accident

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He had sent a text message to his wife in Johor to remind her to drive home safely. Less than an hour later, Loh Fook Siong, a 42-year-old Malaysian, died in a road accident in Singapore.

Loh, who was a worker in Singapore’s marine industry, was riding on his motorcycle when he was run over by a trailer at Jalan Buroh in November last year.

In a hearing on Wednesday (26 April), State Coroner Marvin Bay recorded a verdict of traffic misadventure into Loh’s death. The Coroner’s Court heard that Loh was on his way back to Masai, Johor, on 24 November 2016 at about 6 pm, shortly before the fatal accident.

Loh stopped at a traffic light at Jalan Buroh towards West Coast Highway and tried to weave his motorcycle in between a trailer and a tanker. The heavy vehicles were stationary next to each other on two separate lanes as the traffic lights were red.

While Loh was riding between the vehicles, the lights changed and both vehicles started to move off. It was then that the handlebar of Loh’s motorcycle hit the left side of the tanker, which caused him to lose his balance and he was run over by the rear tyre of the trailer.

Paramedics who were at the scene pronounced Loh dead.

Calling it an unwise move, Bay said that as Loh attempted to weave his way through when the two vehicles were moving, he could have misjudged the tight space for his motorcycle.

The case underscored the importance for motorcyclists to maintain a safe stand-off distance from heavy vehicles.

“It is essential that motorcyclists avoid placing themselves in blind spots behind heavy vehicles,” Bay added.