Jail for lorry driver who looked at phone while driving, causing fatal crash

A construction worker with a history of careless driving was sent a notice from the Traffic Police in June 2023 ordering him to surrender his driving licence before July 25 that year.

- Shaffiq Alkhatib

On July 7, about two weeks before the deadline, Natarajan Mohanraj was driving a lorry when he looked at his mobile phone and the vehicle struck a car.

The driver of the car, Emeritus Professor Tan Yock Lin, 70, a senior National University of Singapore law professor, was taken to hospital and died later that day.

Despite this, Natarajan, 28, continued to drive another lorry on two separate occasions in 2024 after his licence was revoked.

The Indian national was sentenced to two years and a month in jail, and a fine of $2,000 on Aug 29, 2025.

He had pleaded guilty to several charges, including causing another person's death while driving a vehicle without due care.

He was also prohibited from driving any motor vehicle in Singapore for life.