S'porean, 69, a van driver, pleads guilty to speeding & fatally hitting jaywalker, 'angry with himself' for offence

A man driving a van in Singapore was speeding between 62km/h and 75km/h just before he collided into a pedestrian along a road with a speed limit of 60km/h.

The 54-year-old victim had crossed the road with his earphones on, when the light was still red.

The incident happened on Nov. 15, 2024, at around 7pm, and he passed away eight days later from his injuries despite going through several surgeries.

The van driver, 69-year-old Tan Kwee Teck, pleaded guilty on Jun. 8, 2026, to one charge of dangerous driving causing death.

Driving dangerously

Tan was driving his van home after work when the accident occurred, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

Driving along Woodlands Road towards Upper Bukit Timah Road, which is a three-lane carriageway, he made several dangerous manoeuvres, captured by the dashcam footage in his own van.

He weaved in and out of traffic by performing abrupt lane changes, including overtaking two vehicles.

He was also splitting lanes and not observing lane discipline.

As he approached a pedestrian crossing, the victim was crossing the road despite the red light for pedestrians, and was not aware that Tan was driving towards him at high speed.

According to the prosecutor, the victim was visible from a distance, but Tan only noticed him when he drove closer to the pedestrian crossing.

Although he tried to brake and sound his horn, he was "unable to take evasive action in time".

When his van collided into the victim, the impact caused the victim’s body to be flung some distance.

Tan stopped his vehicle and got someone's help to call for the police and the ambulance.

He remained at the scene until the police arrived.

Victim's injuries

The victim was conscious when sent to the hospital, where he was assessed to have multiple injuries.

They included severe traumatic brain injury, rib fractures, tibia fractures, and blunt abdominal trauma with splenic, pancreatic, and liver laceration.

He also had rhabdomyolysis, a damage to skeletal muscles said to be life-threatening.

Despite undergoing several surgical procedures, the victim passed away on Nov. 23, 2024.

According to an associate consultant forensic pathologist, the cause of death was multi-organ failure arising from the injuries from the road incident.

Sped up to 109km/h

Following Tan's arrest on the day of the incident, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) conducted a speed estimation analysis of his van at the time.

Focusing on his speed over a distance of about 202m leading up to the collision, HSA found that Tan was travelling between 102km/h and 109km/h at his fastest.

At the segment just before the collision, he was travelling between 62km/h and 75km/h.

As the speed limit of Woodlands Road is 60km/h, the prosecutor said Tan was speeding for at least 200m leading up to the collision, and at a speed dangerous to the public.

Sentencing

The prosecutor sought a sentence of two-and-a-half years to three-and-a-half years in prison, and a driving disqualification for 10 years.

He said Tan was driving in a "clearly dangerous and reckless manner" at the time of the offence.

"Although the victim was jaywalking and the accused had the right of way, the accused was driving at a speed that simply gave him no chance to react to the victim being on the road," the prosecutor argued.

"The accused’s cavalier disregard for road safety led to an entirely avoidable traffic incident and the loss of a life," it was added.

The prosecutor added that this incident was not Tan's first driving offence.

He had paid a S$380 fine in 2022 for failing to conform to a red-light signal, and a S$200 fine in 2023 for speeding.

The defence

At court, Tan's lawyer requested for a more lenient sentence of two years in prison along with a driving disqualification, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The lawyer added that Tan has been "angry with himself" for committing the offence, as quoted by The Straits Times.

In January 2026, Tan's wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and a doctor said she only had six months to live.

This meant that Tan might not be able to see his wife to the end of her life before going to prison, the lawyer said.

He also emphasised that the victim was jaywalking, and argued that Tan was speeding only up to 75km/h just before the collision.

It was unfair for the prosecutor to judge his speed over the entire distance of Woodlands Road, he said.

Tan will be sentenced on Jun. 30.