Man, 39, driving lorry, hits colleague on bicycle in Kranji & drags him 13.5m, gets 5 weeks' jail

A lorry driver struck a colleague, who was riding a bicycle, and dragged him for more than 13m, after failing to stop and check for pedestrians when making a left turn inside a factory compound.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the defendant, Li Haiming, a 39-year-old Chinese national, was charged with causing serious injury through a negligent act and sentenced to five weeks' jail on Nov. 11.

At the time of the incident, both Li and the victim were working for Samwoh Corporation, an engineering and construction company in Singapore.

Li was a lorry driver and the victim was a construction worker.

Dragged the victim for 13.5 metres

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, the incident occurred at around 3:41pm on Feb. 4 at Samwoh Smart Hub, along Kranji Way.

Li was driving a lorry towards the loading bay within the premises when he made a left turn at a speed of approximately 6km/h without stopping to check for pedestrians.

As a result, he failed to notice the victim, who was cycling across a zebra crossing, and collided with him.

The victim was dragged about 13.5 metres before Li realised what had happened.

After getting off the lorry, Li found the victim trapped beneath the vehicle and immediately pulled him out and attempted to administer first aid.

The victim was then taken to Woodlands Health Campus while conscious, where he was found to have sustained head lacerations and a fractured thigh bone that extended to the knee, requiring surgery.

He underwent an operation on Feb. 6 and was discharged two days later with two months of medical leave.

Li had previously been fined for traffic violations

In court, the prosecution pointed out that the defendant had previously been fined for traffic violations in 2016 and 2024, reflecting a pattern of negligent driving, Shin Min reported.

Given the severity of the victim’s injuries and the distance he was dragged, the prosecution sought a minimum sentence of four weeks’ imprisonment.

In his plea for leniency, Li said his family in China was deeply concerned for him and that he hoped to serve his sentence promptly so he could reunite with them.

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