WITH heavy vehicles making headlines all too often of late, netizens were aghast when a viral video clip earlier this week showed a lorry being driven around with a raised tipper bucket.
It was said that the raised tipper damaged several pieces of public infrastructure, including electrical poles, a traffic light and a bus stand.
It was claimed that the incident occurred in the Johor Baru district.
Did this happen as claimed?
VERDICT:
TRUE
A 69-year-old lorry driver was fined RM6,000 by a Johor Baru Magistrate’s Court on Friday (June 13) for reckless driving that resulted in significant damage to public infrastructure.
Chew Ah Sing was charged with driving negligently along KM30.7 of Jalan Johor Baru-Gelang Patah-Pendas at 3.20pm on Tuesday (June 10).
According to the charge sheet, he drove his lorry without lowering the raised tipper bucket, causing it to strike overhead electrical cables and damage three electrical poles, a traffic light, a CCTV and a bus stand.
The offence under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 was punishable with imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, or a fine of RM5,000 to RM10,000, or both, upon conviction.
Chew pleaded guilty after the charge was read to him in Mandarin by the court translator.
His lawyer, Sharmaine Fairuz Mohd Zulkifli from the National Legal Aid Foundation, asked the court for a lower fine, saying the accused was supporting his wife and a child still in school.
She added that it was also his first offence.
Magistrate Nur Fatin Mohamad Farid fined him RM6,000, in default four months’ imprisonment, and ordered that his driving licence be endorsed.
Footage of the incident went viral on social media on Tuesday.
