(above: Mr Chua Cheng Hai, who was hit so hard by a wooden pole that it fractured his wrist.)

By KHUSHWANT SINGH

MOMENTS after a minor collision along Braddell Road, Mr Chua Cheng Hai was allegedly attacked by the other driver, who is said to have hit him so hard with a wooden pole that it fractured his wrist.

Mr Chua said the road rage attack happened in April last year after he cut into the path of Tan Eng Heong's Toyota Wish.

On March 1, the 45-year-old technician testified on the first day of Tan's trial that the 47-year-old IT manager then overtook his van and came to a sudden halt.

Mr Chua was able to swerve to the right but his Mercedes-Benz van sideswiped the driver's side of the Toyota.

The technician then pulled up and that was when Tan allegedly walked towards him with a "wooden stick" taken from the back seat of the Toyota.

"I thought he was going to talk tough while holding the stick so I did not run," Mr Chua said. Instead, the technician told the court, Tan hit him with the stick several times while he tried to deflect the blows with his left arm.

IT manager Tan Eng Heong (above) allegedly hit Mr Chua Cheng Hai with a wooden pole after the van driven by Mr Chua had cut into his car's path.

Mr Chua said the attack ended only when Tan's teenage daughter, who was inside the car, screamed as the vehicle began moving forward because the handbrake was not fully engaged.

"I took the opportunity to get into my van to drive to the Ang Mo Kio police station to make a police report," he testified.

During questioning, Tan's lawyer, Mr Vijay Rai, asked why Mr Chua's initial police statement stated that he was hit only once.

Mr Chua said he missed out on certain details because he was in pain and was in a hurry to receive medical attention.

On March 1, Dr S. Ramesh, who operated on Mr Chua, testified that it was also possible for the fracture to have been sustained in a traffic accident instead of a pole strike.

He added that such an injury would not render the victim unable to drive. "That would depend on the pain threshold of the individual," the doctor said, adding that he did not believe driving after sustaining the injury would have aggravated it.

If convicted, Tan could be jailed for up to 10 years and caned, or fined.

The trial continues.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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