Parked lorry on PIE led to man's death

Parked lorry on PIE led to man's death

Deciding he needed to nap before completing his drive home early one morning last July, Anderson Rozario Esep M. stopped his lorry, and turned off its engine and all the lights before going to sleep – in the middle of the expressway.

About 30 minutes later, a van collided into his lorry. Its driver, Mr Chin Kin Siong, 52, suffered multiple injuries, including fractures in the torso and pelvis, and a crushed leg. He died later in hospital.

Yesterday, Rozario, 24, pleaded guilty to causing Mr Chin’s death by a rash act in July 30 last year.

A district court heard that the night before the incident, Rozario had slept in his lorry at a carpark after drinking at a coffee shop. The Malaysian woke up at about 5am and set off, but stopped the vehicle about 40 minutes later along the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), on the second lane from the right.

Spotting the danger, a truck driver stopped on the road shoulder nearby and called out to Rozario. Failing to wake him, he stood at the road shoulder and waved a torchlight to warn oncoming vehicles.

However, Mr Chin crashed his van into the parked vehicle’s rear at 6.14am.

Rozario faces up to five years’ jail and a fine, and a driving ban. He will be sentenced on July 10.


This article was first published on JULY 1, 2014.
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