Panicking in any life-or-death situation is already bad enough, but pair it with a dose of bad luck and perhaps a forced sprinkle of obliviousness?
As visionary entities would claim: “It’s simply not his or her day.”
A case that would most certainly apply to the following lorry driver, who has since been given an imprisonment sentence of 5 days for his moment of folly.
Lorry Driver Hit Biker After Swerving to Avoid Cyclist
According to TODAYonline, it all happened some two years ago, on 8 August 2019 at around 6:20pm.
According to the news report, Rasu Edison Raja had been maneuvering Kian Teck Avenue in the Upper Jurong Road area when he came across a T-junction between Kian Teck Avenue and Kian Teck Road.
Apparently, a trailer was positioned in a stationary state “in the lane nearest to the footpath”.
As Rasu proceeded towards Kian Teck Road, a cyclist suddenly came out from behind the trailer.
Panicking, the lorry driver swerved right across the centre dividing line to circumvent the errant cyclist, when he should have halted or even slowed down.
As a result of his actions, he was confronted with an entire lane of oncoming traffic, all driving towards him.
At this point, we enter Mr Noranis, a motorcylist who had been approaching from the “opposite direction in that lane”.
Despite having an unobstructed view of Mr Noranis, Rasu failed to notice his arrival.
He ended up crashing into the biker.
Biker Suffered Brain Injury
According to the news report, Rasu got off his vehicle and went to help the victim, who was later transferred to the National University Hospital in an unconscious state.
As a result of the incident, Mr Noranis suffered from a brain injury, several fractures and numerous superficial abrasions.
He had to undergo emergency surgery and a separate procedure, and was subsequently warded for 37 days.
Mr Noranis was then discharged with 99 days of hospitalisation leave.
Sentencing
In court, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Goh Qi Shuen insisted on at least five days’ jail and 18 months of disqualification for the offence.
In mitigation, Rasu’s lawyer stated that his client was remorseful and wished “he could turn back the clock and press his emergency brake to avoid injuring the victim”.
The cyclist’s appearance, he said, had caused Rasu to lapse into a “state of panic”.
“In order to avoid one accident, he ended up committing another,” he added.
His argument that the cyclist had suddenly appeared and encroached into Rasu’s path, however, was ultimately dismissed by District Judge Janet Wang.
After observing video footage of the scene, she stated that Rasu “ought to have exercised a heightened sense of alert to other road users”, as he was piloting a heavy vehicle.
Rasu eventually pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt to Mr Noranis, and was sentenced to an imprisonment term of 5 days.
He was also handed a two-year driving ban.
For the offence, he could have faced a jail term of up to two years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
Previous Instance
Incidents involving lorries and cyclists aren’t usually prevalent on local shores, but there was one previous instance that occurred back in 2018.
Instead of a mere accident, however, this one comes across as more of a revenge incident than anything else.
On 22 December 2018, a Mr Teo was seen on video driving behind two cyclists along a road in Pasir Ris.
It looked like one of the cyclists was blocking Teo’s way, while the other rode at the side of the lane.
After passing a traffic junction, the cyclist, who was still obstructing Teo’s path, looked back at the lorry, presumably because Teo honked at him.
The cyclist then whacked the lorry’s side mirror, causing something to break off and fall.
Displeased, Teo then swerved and knocked the cyclist off the road.
He was later sentenced to seven weeks’ jail, fined S$500, and disqualified from driving for two years.
While we’re at it, my colleague also has some pretty advice for such scenarios:
“If a cyclist obstructs your path and you feel murderous rage flowing through your veins, try counting to ten, or thinking about your next cup of bubble tea.”
Not sure whether bubble tea works for momentary bouts of panic too, but well, you can always try.
Feature Image: Google Maps
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
Read Also:
- 21YO Stabbed Actor Ryan Lian in The Face At Least 3 Times
- Summary of What Really Happened to Qoo10, Simplified for You
- 62-Year-Old Tampines Man Found Dead After Missing Daily “Good Morning” Messages
- 5 Places In S’pore To Get Christmas-Themed Cakes Under S$80
- Mister Donut Launching Pikachu & Poké Ball Donuts From 1 Dec 2024 To 19 Jan 2025
- Vietnamese Married S’porean to Get Long-Term Pass, But Wanted a Divorce When Pass Was Not Approved
- Summary of the Places to Count Down to 2025 in S’pore
Advertisements
