Jail for garbage truck driver who ran over cyclist, causing his death

The driver of a garbage truck failed to spot a cyclist at a zebra crossing and hit him, only realising it when he felt his truck go over a bump.

The 60-year-old cyclist died at the scene.

On Aug 18, the driver Rosli Bong Nor, 64, pleaded guilty to one charge of driving without due care or consideration for other road users.

He was sentenced to six months' jail and will be disqualified from holding all classes of driving licences for eight years.

According to court documents, Rosli started work at 6am on Feb 11, 2024. After he had collected garbage at various different locations, he began driving towards an incinerator plant located in Senoko, near Sembawang.

While he was driving along Woodlands Avenue 8 at around 9.50am, Rosli took the extreme left lane to enter into the slip road leading to Admiralty Road West.

But he failed to notice a man who was cycling across the zebra crossing at the slip road.

Rosli admitted that he knew he had collided with something only when he felt the truck go over an object.

He immediately stopped and exited the 11-tonne truck, only to find the cyclist under his truck. Court documents said the scene was bloody at this time and the cyclist was already unresponsive.

The cyclist was pronounced dead at 10.09am after he was taken out from underneath the truck by firefighters and paramedics.

An autopsy revealed a head injury to be the cause of death.

The impact of the collision resulted in damage to the truck's front right tyre, to the extent that a post-accident technical test on the truck's steering system could not be conducted.

This meant that the technical investigator was unable to determine if there was any mechanical failure on the truck that could have led to the accident.

Those found guilty of driving without due care or attention can be fined up to $1,500, jailed for up to six months, or both.