SINGAPORE – As you turn right from Cross Street to Robinson Road in the central business district, Muhammad Said Shahidir Dres she failed to notice a 78-year-old pedestrian in a crosswalk and crashed into her.
Following the accident on April 3, 2020, tthe victim succumbed to his injuries at the Singapore General Hospital the following morning.
On Monday (August 1), Said, 35, was sentenced to four months in prison and disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of license for eight years after his release.
The Singaporean pleaded guilty to an offense under the Road Traffic Act of driving without due care and attention.
The court heard that the accident happened just before the shutdown period came into force, which limited movement and activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Said was driving his manual Toyota Hiace van, which had an unladen weight of 1,760kg, to One Raffles Quay to deliver some items.
As he approached the signposted junction of Cross Street and Robinson Road, he drove in the first lane with the intention of turning onto Robinson Road towards Collyer Quay.
The victim then started to cross the marked pedestrian crossing from Hong Leong Building to CapitaGreen. Said collided with her when she had finished crossing three of the four lanes.
He fell to the ground and began to bleed. She was taken to hospital where she died of a severe traumatic head injury the following morning.
Assistant public prosecutor Ben Mathias Tan told the court that Said was the lead vehicle when he executed the right turn, and that there were also no vehicles alongside his van. His view was not blocked by any vehicles or structures.
He only realized what had happened when he heard a “bang” in the front of his van, said the prosecutor who asked for four to six months in prison.
Said could have been jailed for up to three years or fined up to $10,000, or both. Those who cause death will receive a mandatory driving ban of at least eight years.