SCDF officer who dozed off at the wheel of a fire engine and hit a parked lorry jailed 16 weeks, banned from driving for five years
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer who fell asleep while driving a fire engine, causing a crash involving a parked lorry and a parked prime mover, was sentenced to 16 weeks’ jail on Thursday, 22 October 2026, AsiaOne reported. Muhammad Imran Norzehan, 28, was also disqualified from driving for five years after pleading guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing grievous hurt.
Driver fatigue is a workplace risk too: WorkRightSG, a sister site, explains an employer’s duty to assess and control risks under the WSH Act.
According to court documents cited by AsiaOne, the accident happened on Sungei Kadut Street 1 at about 1.45pm on 23 January 2025. Imran dozed off while driving an SCDF Pump Ladder. The vehicle veered right into the opposite direction and collided with a parked truck, which surged backwards and hit a prime mover parked behind it.
Three passengers in the SCDF vehicle, aged 21 to 22, were seriously hurt. The crew had been returning to their fire post after attending an incident. One officer seated in the front cabin was trapped and had to be freed using hydraulic rescue equipment. Shin Min Daily News reported that the three passengers were national servicemen.
The court heard that Imran had washed his face before the accident because he felt tired. Lianhe Zaobao reported that the weather was clear, the road was dry and visibility was good at the time, and that a second dangerous driving charge was taken into consideration for sentencing. The prosecution had sought four to six months’ jail, according to Zaobao. In mitigation, the defence reportedly said the three injured men had expressed forgiveness and did not want the accident to affect his career.
Zaobao also reported that the parked lorry was damaged beyond repair, while repairs to the prime mover cost $9,050. When Imran was charged in May 2026, SCDF told The Straits Times that he had been removed from frontline duties and placed in an administrative post.
For fleet operators, the case is a clear example of how driver fatigue can lead to serious harm and heavy penalties even in good driving conditions. It also shows that parked commercial vehicles can be badly damaged by another driver’s lapse: here, a lorry was written off and a prime mover needed repairs while both were stationary.
The warning signs in this case, a driver feeling tired and trying to stay alert by washing his face, are ones that many professional drivers will recognise. Companies running lorries, vans and buses may want to remind drivers that feeling drowsy is a reason to stop and rest, and to review shift lengths and rest breaks, particularly for drivers heading back to base after a demanding job.
A five-year driving ban also means the loss of the ability to drive for work, which is a significant consequence for anyone who drives as part of their job.
Source: AsiaOne, 23 October 2026 (with reporting from Lianhe Zaobao and The Straits Times) — Read the original
