Indian Driver Jailed for Fatal Mistake in Singapore
Indian construction worker sentenced to over two years in jail for fatal 2023 accident.
An Indian national, Natarajan Mohanraj, aged 28, was sentenced to two years and one month in prison and fined SGD 2,000 by a Singapore court on Friday for causing a fatal road accident in 2023 that claimed the life of Emeritus Professor Tan Yock Lin, a distinguished law professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The tragic incident occurred on July 7, 2023, when Natarajan, a construction worker, was distracted by his mobile phone while driving a lorry. The vehicle veered off course, mounted a kerb, smashed through green metal railings, uprooted two trees, and crossed into oncoming traffic. It collided with a car driven by Professor Tan, 70, causing it to spin and strike a nearby van, which then hit a bus. The professor suffered severe skull fractures and was trapped in his mangled vehicle for nearly an hour before Singapore Civil Defence Force officers could extricate him. He succumbed to multiple injuries in the hospital later that day.
The van driver, aged 28, also sustained injuries, including fractured ribs. The road was closed for nearly three hours to rescue the victims, remove damaged vehicles, and clear debris, as reported by Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair.
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Court documents revealed Natarajan’s history of careless driving. In June 2023, the Traffic Police had issued a notice for him to surrender his driving license by July 25, but the accident occurred two weeks prior. Shockingly, even after his license was revoked following the fatal crash, Natarajan continued to drive illegally on two occasions in 2024. On January 3, 2024, he drove another man’s lorry with permission but was intercepted for not wearing a seatbelt. In May 2024, he drove the same lorry without authorization before being stopped by traffic police.
Natarajan pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including causing death by driving without due care. In addition to his prison sentence and fine, the court imposed a lifetime driving ban in Singapore.
The case underscores the devastating consequences of reckless driving and the importance of road safety compliance. Professor Tan’s untimely death has left a void in Singapore’s academic community, and the incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for vigilance behind the wheel.
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