Drunk ambulance driver who crashed on SLE gets 2 years' jail, 10-year driving ban

SINGAPORE — A 27-year-old man who went on a drunken hour-long joyride around the island, injuring his passenger when he crashed on an expressway, was jailed for two years on Monday (Sept 5).

G Mohanavarooman Gopal Oyyappan had 183mg of ethanol in every 100ml of his blood, more than double the prescribed drink-driving limit of 80mg per 100ml.

He was behind the wheel of a private ambulance that belonged to his employer in 2020, shortly after the relaxation of movement restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He then collided with some guard rails in the middle of Seletar Expressway (SLE).

On Monday, Mohan was also fined S$4,000 and disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for 10 years upon his release from prison.

The Singaporean, who appeared in court with several family members, began serving his sentence immediately.

He pleaded guilty in July to four charges including drink-driving, dangerous driving causing grievous hurt and driving without a valid Class 3 or 3A licence.

He also admitted to an unrelated charge of voluntarily causing hurt. About six months before the ambulance incident, he got into a fight while drinking at a Punggol coffee shop and punched a patron.

The court previously heard that Mohan and another man, Aravindraj Manohar, 29, were employed by private ambulance provider IM Ambulance Service. He worked as a medic while Arvin was a driver.

The pair worked together on July 6 in 2020, taking patients to and from medical centres.

Around 8.45pm that day, they went to a car park at Block 137, Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 to rest. They drank alcohol till about 11.15pm, ferrying someone from Corporation Road to Bukit Batok Care Home along the way.

Aravin eventually allowed Mohan to drive the ambulance to his grandmother’s house.

One of Mohan's friends later boarded the ambulance. Her name was removed from court documents.

Upon reaching their destination, Aravin got off the ambulance and Mohan went behind the wheel of the ambulance. He and his female friend began drinking once more before he embarked on a joyride from 1.30am to 2.30am.

Court documents outlined numerous examples of his erratic driving, such as sharply cutting across a cyclist’s path by making a left turn into Hougang Street 22 from the second lane as opposed to the first lane.

He then drove against the flow of traffic along Hougang Street 22, at an open-air car park on Hougang Avenue 1 and on Phillips Avenue.

At the junctions of Phillips Avenue and Yio Chu Kang Road, he beat the red light before driving at a fast speed in a zig-zagging manner by repeatedly alternating between the first and second lanes.

Along the SLE, he drove in an unsteady manner and nearly caused a collision with a car. He also sounded the horn many times for no reason.

He made a series of lane changes before finally losing control of the vehicle, skidding from the third to first lane and ramming into the guard railings in the centre of the SLE.

The ambulance toppled to its left and came to a stop between the third and fourth lanes.

A member of the public called the police. An officer went to the scene and noticed that 10 portions of the guard rails had been uprooted and a tree was tilting.

Mohan's friend was unable to move from the front passenger seat because her leg was stuck.

The police officer then saw Mohan walking around the back of the ambulance in a state of panic. He smelled strongly of alcohol and had an unsteady gait.

When questioned if he was the driver, Mohan claimed that his friend had been driving instead. However, the friend said that Mohan had been the driver.

Mohan pleaded with her in Tamil, saying, “Please, you are the driver”, and “Promise on your mother, if you want to save me, help me.”

Mohan soon failed a breathlyser test and was arrested. He was escorted to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital because he did not have his asthmatic inhaler with him.

The friend was also taken to the hospital where she was found to have suffered lower rib fractures. She was warded for a week and given 38 days of hospitalisation leave, but did not suffer any permanent disabilities.

For dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, Mohan could have been jailed for up to five years. As he is a serious offender, he could also additionally have been jailed for up to a year and fined up to S$10,000.