Tower Transit Bus Driver Sentenced to 2 Weeks’ Jail for Sleeping When Driving & Hitting a Stationary Lorry

How… interesting that I would write this article, right after another one whereby a train captain was fired for sleeping on the job.

Life, it seems, has more than just lemons after all.

So anyway, I wrote in that particular article on how sleeping on the job, when you’re in charge of numerous lives, could potentially lead to dire consequences. And as fate may have it…

This article contains just that.

Tower Transit Bus Driver Sentenced to 2 Weeks’ Jail for Sleeping When Driving & Hitting a Stationary Lorry

According to TODAYonline, a bus captain has been sentenced to 2 weeks’ jail for negligence on the job, which led to numerous passengers getting injured.

He will also face disqualification from all vehicles for two years upon release.

According to the news report, Gwee Kim Han, 48, had been piloting ply bus service 143 at around 3:00 a.m. on 16 March 2018 when he reportedly felt fatigued.

It also didn’t help that he had slept just five hours the night before.

At around 6:30 a.m., he was moving along Pasir Panjang Road when he gave in to the lure of eternal peace. When he woke up, the bus was heading straight for a stationary lorry parked on the extreme left lane.

Not exactly something one would want to wake up to.

The bus ended up crashing into the lorry, causing several individuals who were getting onto the latter to get flung off.

According to the news report, those in the driver’s and passenger seats were also wounded.

Four victims, in particular, were said to suffer fractures, with two sustaining long-standing complications.

Gwee was reportedly sacked by Tower Transit five days later.

For causing grievous hurt through negligence, he could have faced an imprisonment term of up to two years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Sleeping On The Job

Sleeping on the job may be a sign of being ‘hardworking’ over in Japan, but the same does not exactly apply here.

And that’s especially so when you’re in a position of power where others look to you for safety.

Back in February 2020, a train captain was found to be sleeping on the job in a viral Instagram video.

He was subsequently fired from his position.

Unlike Gwee’s case, the train captain was sleeping on a voluntary basis.

Though, unlike the train captain, Gwee’s mode of transport was not automated.

And so… moral of the story here?

Try to get more sleep the night before if possible if you have a long day later on.

Don’t let a mere lack of sleep contribute to your darkest hour.

Featured Image: Google Maps