Driver accused of causing $1.4m in damage to tunnel had been involved in similar offences: Police
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The collision, which took place around noon, caused extensive damage to items such as the height limit barrier and electrical units of the tunnel.
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- Lai Daohong was charged in court on July 30 with offences including causing a lorry to collide with government properties.
- Dashcam footage shows the lorry hitting a height restriction bar and a tunnel entrance before stopping.
- Police said that Lai is a repeat offender who was involved in another similar case earlier.
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SINGAPORE - A man accused of causing around $1.4 million in damage to a Central Expressway tunnel
Without revealing details about the earlier incident, the police said Chinese national Lai Daohong, 55 is accused of committing his latest offences on Nov 8, 2024.
For his current case, Lai appeared in court on July 30 and was charged with causing the vehicle to collide with government properties.
He is also accused of driving a vehicle taller than 4.5m without being escorted by either a police officer or an auxiliary police officer.
According to police investigations, he was driving a lorry “with a raised crane boom when the crane boom collided with a height limit barrier and the tunnel while entering a slip road along Cairnhill Road into the CTE tunnel”.
The collision, which took place around noon, caused extensive damage to items such as the height limit barrier and electrical units of the tunnel.
This caused the slip road to be closed until after 10pm that day, after recovery works were completed.
No one was injured in the incident, and officers arrested Lai that day.
“This is his second time committing both offences,” said a police spokesperson.
In November 2024, the Land Transport Authority said that the tunnel had not suffered any structural damage.
In dashcam footage of the accident posted on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page, a yellow lorry with a high crane affixed to it can be seen approaching the entrance of the tunnel.
The crane strikes a tree branch and a height restriction bar before making impact with the entrance of the tunnel, as the lorry slows to a halt.
In another social media post, dashcam footage from vehicles entering the tunnel prior to the slip road’s closure show many cables dangling from the ceiling of the tunnel.
Lai’s pre-trial conference will take place on Aug 29.
For driving a heavy motor vehicle that collided with any building or structure, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.
A repeat offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $10,000.
For driving a heavy vehicle over 4.5m tall without police escort, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined up to $2,000.
A repeat offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $5,000.
