Truck driver who killed NUS law professor says he was distracted by GPS

SINGAPORE – The driver of a truck involved in an accident that claimed the life of an NUS law professor said he lost control of his vehicle when he took his eyes off the road to check his GPS.

Natarajan Mohanraj, 26, had earlier told a police officer at the scene that the July 7, 2023 crash occurred after he fell asleep at the wheel.

The truck he was driving swerved across three lanes before crashing into oncoming traffic, including a car driven by emeritus professor Tan Yock Lin.

The law professor was 70 years old.

At the May 2 coroner’s inquest, Natarajan, an Indian national, said he told the police officer he was sleepy because he was in a state of panic after the accident.

“But my family advised me to tell the truth after the accident and that’s why I told the truth.”

“I did not fall asleep at any point while driving that day,” he said through a translator.

On August 30, 2023, he changed his initial statement that he made on July 7.

Natarajan told the court he was in the leftmost lane on Upper Thomson Road when his Global Positioning System (GPS) told him he needed to turn right.

He was driving from Jalan Buroh in Pioneer to Ang Mo Kio to pick up a colleague.

Natarajan said he checked his mirrors for passing vehicles before changing from the third lane to the first, or rightmost lane. He said he was constantly checking the GPS on his phone because he was unfamiliar with the area.

In the right lane, he checked his GPS again. He told the court that at that moment he realized that his right front tire had mounted on the splitter.

He subsequently lost control of his vehicle.

Natarajan said he was traveling between 60 and 70 kilometers per hour at the time.

He told the court that he had only been driving for about eight months at the time and was not normally required to be behind the wheel.

“I don’t normally drive because I work in general construction. Only sometimes they ask me to drive,” he said, adding that he relied on GPS because he was not familiar with Singapore roads.