Dozing off, a taxi driver in Singapore, Tan Yu Seng, abruptly woke up and stepped on his accelerator.
The now 70-year-old collided with three motorcycles and a man at a taxi stand in Paya Lebar Square in 2021.
The man suffered several injuries and eventually passed away.
Pleading guilty to one count of driving without due care and attention, Tan received a jail sentence of four weeks.
He has also received an eight-year driving ban for the incident, and has given up on being a taxi driver due to various health conditions.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the incident took place at the taxi stand at Paya Lebar Square on 4 Oct 2021.
There were two taxis in front of Tan at the stand and while in the queue, he dozed off.
Source: Google Maps
He later woke up due to a thumping sound on his vehicle and saw that the cars in front of him had driven off.
As a result, he stepped on his accelerator to move forward.
Three motorcycles were parked nearby, and a man was standing in between two of them.
Failing to control the vehicle, Tan collided with the three motorcycles before mounting the kerb.
The impact of the crash flung the man into the air and he fell to the ground.
The man suffered multiple injuries including numerous fractures and authorities transported him to the hospital.
He subsequently went through several rounds of surgery but experienced complications in the process, including pneumonia.
Due to the man’s liver cirrhosis, he required a blood transfusion as well.
He eventually passed away on 19 Oct 2021, suffering multi-organ failure after sustaining injuries consistent with ones incurred after a traffic accident involving vehicles, according to an autopsy.
Defending his client, Tan’s lawyer Yek Nai Hui, described the incident as “rather unusual”. He added that it did not occur on the road.
Highlighting the victim’s underlying liver cirrhosis, he said that the victim’s sustained fractures would not have ordinarily resulted in a death.
In addition, Tan had since given up his job as a taxi driver due to multiple health conditions including high blood pressure and skin cancer.
Yek asked for a low fine, or the minimum jail sentence while the prosecution sought one to three months’ jail and an eight-year driving ban.
The prosecution pointed out that he had asked for a lower sentence than usual after considering the “unusual” facts of the incident.
Also read: Motorcyclist & 9-Year-Old Son Pass Away In PIE Accident Near Jalan Bahar
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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