Tesla driver jailed 10 months over fatal motorcycle crash
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A District Court judge on Tuesday convicted 49-year-old driver Tong Ho-ting (湯浩廷) of dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm over a crash on 7 July 2024 near the Rainbow Road slip road leading to Lung Cheung Road in Wong Tai Sin. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison, disqualified from driving for five years, and ordered to attend a driving improvement course.
Key Points
- The crash happened at about 12:30pm on 7 July 2024, when a motorcycle carrying newlyweds slowed because of a taxi ahead near the Rainbow Road slip road junction with Lung Cheung Road.
- Prosecutors said Tong's black Tesla was behind a white private car; after that car merged away, Tong maintained speed, turned into Lung Cheung Road and struck the motorcycle
- The 38-year-old female passenger, Tsang Yuk-chu (曾玉珠), suffered traumatic head injuries and died in hospital on 13 July 2024, while rider Lam Hin-kin (林顯鍵) suffered a fractured right fibula and ankle injuries
- Tong told police and the court he had been preparing to move right, performed a shoulder check, then saw the motorcycle suddenly appear on the left and could not brake in time
- Judge Douglas Chan Kwong-chi (陳廣池) found Tong had failed to keep proper watch on traffic ahead, that the collision was avoidable, and that his driving fell far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver.
Why It Matters
The ruling underlines that courts may treat lane-changing or merging manoeuvres without proper forward attention as dangerous driving when the consequences are severe. The judge also described the case as a complete social tragedy that changed the fate of two families, while saying the later emotional collapse of the injured husband would not be added to Tong's criminal liability in sentencing.