Truck driver jailed for killing elderly cyclist at Kallang Rd junction
A tipper truck driver was jailed five weeks on Monday (24 April) for killing an elderly cyclist after failing to keep a lookout while making a turn at the junction of Lavender Street and Kallang Road.
Chinese national Lu Liancai, 39, was convicted on one charge of causing death by negligent act and was also disqualified from driving for five years for hitting and killing 82-year-old Chng Hee Jay on 15 August 2016.
The accident took place while Lu was driving along Lavender Street towards Crawford Street. Lu had intended to make a right turn onto Kallang Road from Lavender Street but stopped as the traffic light showed red.
When the traffic light turned green in his direction, Lu drove into the junction; there was no green right turn arrow at that point of time. According to the prosecution, Lu executed the right turn onto Kallang Road while maintaining a constant speed.
He failed to keep a proper lookout for Chng, who was riding a yellow bicycle from the right to the left of Lu’s perspective on the pedestrian crossing along Kallang Road. At the time of Chng’s crossing, the green man was blinking.
When Lu saw Chng in front of his truck, he braked but failed to stop in time. The front of the truck smashed into the side of the bicycle, causing Chng to be flung off it.
Chng sustained severe head injuries and multiple rib fractures. He was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries later in the afternoon.
In mitigation, Lu’s defence counsel Joyce Ng said that Lu had checked for oncoming traffic and had searched the pedestrian crossing from left to right. However, he failed to keep a lookout from the right to the left.
In response, Judge Imran Hamid asked if one could not see from right to left if he was looking from left to right.
Lu, who has been driving the same tipper truck for four years, has faced 10 previous traffic offences – the bulk of which occured in 2014. These include the failure to obey traffic signs, speeding and failure to keep to the left-hand lane. He received fines of between $100 and $160 for the offences.
For causing death by negligent act, Lu could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined.
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