34-year-old driver arrested after ramming lorry into multiple vehicles near Woodlands Checkpoint

SINGAPORE - A traffic accident involving several vehicles at the Causeway towards Woodlands Checkpoint occurred on Thursday (July 7).

In a Facebook post, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that two out of the three lanes at the Causeway were blocked due to the accident.

At 11.15am, ICA gave an update that only one lane remained blocked.

Slightly past noon, all lanes were cleared.

Travellers are advised to check LTA's One Motoring website before embarking on their journey, the authority added.

Videos of the incident circulating on social media show a lorry crashing into multiple cars at the Causeway on the side that is heading towards Singapore. The incident involved at least three cars from Singapore.

SBS Transit told The Straits Times that no one on board its bus seen near the scene was injured.

Other videos showed debris strewn along the road and several damaged vehicles parked to the side. A white van was also seen being towed away.

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Malaysia's Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said on Facebook after the incident that the Road Transport Department (RTD) would conduct investigations. The lorry driver is to undergo a urine test.

Said the minister: "Stern action will be imposed on the lorry driver or company involved if found to have failed in adhering to the set regulation, once RTD has finished its industrial code of practice audit.

"I take cases like this very seriously and will not compromise with any side. Any party found guilty will be severely punished as it involves the safety and life of road users," he added.

The Johor police was reported to have told Malaysian media that the cause of the accident was a mechanical fault in the lorry.

It said the accident involved 12 vehicles - the lorry, a bus, a van and nine cars. Half the vehicles were Malaysian while the others were foreign-registered.

Local police said that a 34-year-old lorry driver had been arrested and was assisting in investigations.

Lawyer Jonathan Cho, who practices with Kalco Law LLC, told The Straits Times that the process of dealing with an accident across the border is generally not very different than the one for dealing with an accident here.

He said that one should make sure to have the requisite insurance coverage for driving abroad. If involved in an accident, motorists should take photos of the accident site and any damage caused, and note down vehicle details and numbers, as well as insurance information.

He said: "Perhaps the additional aspect for accidents in Malaysia is to ensure as many contact details as possible are obtained from the other driver in case that person is hard to locate or identify.

"If there is only vehicular damage that is not too significant, then typically it would still be open for the parties to settle for an amount privately."

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