Jail for man who stopped lorry on PIE and opened door, causing motorcycle and car to crash

SINGAPORE – During morning rush hour on a weekday, a lorry driver abruptly stopped his vehicle in the middle of the PIE and opened his door, causing a motorcycle and car to crash.

The motorcyclist and pillion rider were thrown off the motorcycle after it crashed into the lorry’s door and hit a car.

When the police questioned the lorry driver, Chua Thiong How, he initially denied opening the door.

It was only later that he admitted to lying, saying he was scared and trying to protect himself.

On Sept 24, Chua, 54, was jailed for six weeks and disqualified from driving for three years. He pleaded guilty to causing grievous hurt by a rash act and driving without reasonable consideration.

Another charge for causing hurt by a rash act was taken into consideration for sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Ng told the court Chua had a poor driving record with a slew of traffic offences over the course of more than a decade, including speeding and beating the red light on several occasions.

The incident happened at around 8.20am on Oct 14, 2025.

Chua, who worked for waste management company 800 Super Management, was driving along the PIE towards Tuas in lane two of the three-lane expressway.

Just after Tengah Drive, he suddenly stopped his lorry even though there were no vehicles, obstructions or hazards in front of him, the court heard.

He then opened the door, causing a motorcycle to crash into it.

It was unclear why Chua did what he did and further details of his reasoning at the time were not made known in court.

After the motorcycle crashed into the door, the motorcyclist lost control and collided with a car on the right.

Court documents stated that the motorcycle was damaged beyond repair and had since been deregistered.

The motorcyclist suffered fractures to his right leg and left wrist, and is still undergoing physiotherapy.

The pillion rider suffered multiple abrasions while the car driver suffered neck and back pain.

Chua was arrested on June 27 and released the same day.

Telling the court Chua had been previously convicted for a range of different offences, involving drugs, theft, violence and illegal moneylending, the prosecutor urged the court to sentence Chua to between six and nine weeks’ jail.

Chua told the court that he wanted to be given the maximum sentence the prosecution had asked for, saying he was very remorseful.

District Judge John Ng said he was heartened to know Chua had fully come to terms with the seriousness of his act, and said that in the larger scheme of things, it was not the same as that of other offenders who knowingly beat the red light or crash their vehicles at high speed.

The judge added, however, that what Chua did was inexplicable and obviously caused serious harm.

For a rash act causing grievous hurt while driving, Chua could have been jailed for up to four years, fined $10,000 and banned from driving for life.

David Sun is The Straits Times’ crime correspondent. He has a background in criminology and is a licensed private investigator.