In February, images of a car partially submerged in a condo swimming pool stunned and amused Singaporeans, who wondered how this had happened.
It turned out that the car was driven by a Gojek driver who rashly ignored instructions and drove onto a walkway meant for pedestrians only.
Source: @marketplaceforads on TikTok
The driver has now been jailed for his actions, which incurred over S$600 in damages.
The Gojek driver, Chean Tuck Heng, 67, was in court on Friday (22 Sep) to answer for the incident, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
It all started on 28 Feb, when he picked up a 79-year-old woman from Fernvale Road in Sengkang in a white Honda Vezel.
The senior citizen was travelling from her granddaughter’s home to The Hillside condo on Upper Bukit Timah Road.
Chean reportedly arrived at the condo at 9pm that night when it was raining heavily, resulting in low visibility from inside the vehicle.
As he was instructed to drop his passenger off at a lobby, he was told by a security guard to make a right turn at a junction after the guardhouse.
However, he failed to do so, driving past the junction instead.
At this point, his passenger reportedly pointed out that he had missed the turn, to which he allegedly responded that he “knew the way”.
He ended up turning onto a tiled walkway, running over some potted plants in the process.
The tiled pathway that the Gojek driver turned into. Image courtesy of The Hillside.
The car was then approached by another security guard, who told Chean that the walkway wasn’t for vehicles and that a swimming pool was nearby.
He was also instructed to reverse into a road nearby.
Again, the driver didn’t follow the guard’s instructions, choosing instead to attempt a three-point turn by going around tables and chairs.
The path the Gojek driver took (in red) versus the path he should’ve taken (in green). Image courtesy of The Hillside.
Chean stopped his car only when it drove into the swimming pool, the court heard.
The vehicle’s front tyres ended up dipping into the pool, which was 0.5m deep.
He had apparently driven 60m from the start of the walkway to the pool.
The prosecutor said the security guard had warned him that he was driving towards the pool.
However, Chean was of the opinion that it was just rainwater instead.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported as there was nobody in the pool at the time.
The elderly passenger also managed to exit the vehicle unhurt.
However, damage was caused to the pool’s steps and several tiles. Three flower pots were also broken.
The total repair bill paid by the condo management went up to S$615.
In a statement to the media in March, The Hillside mentioned that they were seeking legal advice for the damages and had reached out to Gojek regarding the claim.
They also pointed out that despite the downpour, the clubhouse and pool were brightly lit when the incident happened, as the lights were all on.
Image courtesy of The Hillside
Chean was charged with one count of a rash act endangering human life with machinery.
The prosecutor said he’d acted with a “high degree of rashness” by ignoring the security guard’s instructions as well as that of his own passenger.
Although no injuries were reported, his actions could’ve caused injury. Nonetheless, they caused damage to property.
The judge sentenced him to two weeks’ jail, saying acts of driving rashly must be deterred. He also told the accused,
I hope that in future, if you do drive, you are much more careful when you drive.
Chean could’ve been sentenced to up to one year’s jail and/or fined up to S$5,000.
In response to queries from MS News in March, a spokesperson from Gojek acknowledged that they had looked into the case.
Gojek also spoke to the passenger and the driver-partner to resolve the issue and take necessary action.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson stressed that Gojek is committed to providing a safe and positive experience for everyone on its platform.
Hence, the company will continue to work hard to strengthen training and education for its driver-partners.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and @marketplaceforads on TikTok.
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