SINGAPORE – The driver of a lorry involved in a crash 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 look at his GPS.
Natarajan Mohanraj, 26, had earlier told a police officer at the crash site that the accident on July 7, 2023, happened after he fell asleep at the wheel.
The lorry he was driving veered across three lanes before crashing into oncoming traffic, including a car driven by Emeritus Professor Tan Yock Lin.
The senior law professor was 70.
At the coroner’s inquiry on May 2, Natarajan, an Indian national, said he told the police officer he was sleepy as he was in a state of panic after the accident.
“But my family advised me to tell the truth after the accident, and that is why I told the truth.”
“I did not fall asleep at any point while I was driving that day,” he said through a translator.
