S'pore taxi driver, 56, permanently disabled after crash, dies 2 years later, lorry driver, 51, jailed 23 months

A lorry driver was sentenced to jail after a collision with a taxi that left the cabbie permanently disabled.

The taxi driver, Lim Boon Hu, 56, passed away two years later, though there was no indication that his death was caused by injuries related to the accident.

Irwan Bin Mohamed Ibrahim, 51, pleaded guilty on Sep. 8, 2026, to one charge of dangerous driving causing grievous hurt and one charge of violating the Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960.

Another charge for driving the lorry without the consent of the lorry’s owner was taken into consideration during sentencing.

He was sentenced to 23 months' jail and is also disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for eight years starting from the date of his release.

Ran red light

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Irwan was driving the lorry on Nicoll Avenue toward Esplanade Drive on May 2, 2023.

Even though the traffic light ahead had been red for about 50 seconds before he reached it, Irwan failed to conform to it and proceeded straight through the junction.

This resulted in a collision with the victim’s taxi.

Permanent disability to victim

The victim was conveyed from the accident site to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for treatment.

Based on the victim’s medical report dated Apr. 23, 2024, the victim was permanently disabled and incapacitated due to the multiple injuries sustained from the accident.

The injuries included bleeding in the brain and multiple fractures.

Court documents listed 11 different types of injuries in total.

The victim was given hospitalisation leave for 137 days from May 2 to Sep. 15, 2023.

He was later discharged to a long-term care facility.

A medical report dated Sep. 15, 2023, stated that the victim "never fully regained sufficient consciousness to meaningfully interact with his surrounding environment or people".

He was "fully bedbound and totally dependent on others" for completing his daily activities, court documents stated.

The taxi driver later died on Jun. 14, 2025, but there was no indication that his death was caused by accident-related injuries.