A van driver has been jailed for hitting a pedestrian and dragging her along a road with his vehicle before rolling over her, resulting in her death.
61-year-old Singaporean Tan See Say pleaded guilty to three charges under the Road Traffic Act for driving without due care causing death, failing to stop after a traffic accident and failing to render assistance.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the accident occurred along Pasir Ris Drive 1 before 6am on 27 January 2023.
Source: Facebook
Tan, who owns clothing stalls around Singapore, was driving the company’s van to deliver clothes when the accident occurred.
68-year-old Ong Siang Huat, a technician, was on her way to work.
She was crossing the road junction after the light turned green in her favour when she was knocked over by Tan, who made a discretionary left turn.
Per CNA, after Mdm Ong fell backwards, Tan’s van dragged her body for a distance before stopping.
He subsequently drove off, rolling over Mdm Ong without stopping to check on her.
A driver behind Tan’s van had honked at the 61-year-old in an attempt to alert him of what had happened, before alighting from their car.
He called for an ambulance after checking on Mdm Ong.
The victim was rushed to the hospital after sustaining multiple injuries, and later died that same day.
Mdm Ong’s daughter had posted a message on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page to appeal for information regarding the incident.
CNA reported that Tan’s defence lawyers sought a punishment of about seven months and two weeks’ jail in court on Friday (12 July).
They claimed that Tan did not know that he had hit someone.
Tan had in fact been “puzzled” as to why he felt a bump earlier. He then checked his van’s tyres and did not notice any puncture or damage to the van.
Tan’s lawyers also noted that Mdm Ong was “only 1.45m tall” while the maximum height of the van was 1.98m.
“It is quite apparent because of the victim’s height that he totally missed out the fact that there was somebody there. This is coupled with the fact that he didn’t appreciate that at 6.07am somebody would be crossing the road,” they said.
Tan’s lawyers also assured that their client always intended on pleading guilty as he has been “overwhelmed with guilt since the incident”.
According to CNA, the prosecution noted Tan’s previous traffic violations, including being fined at least 10 times for speeding, careless driving and running red lights.
The prosecution sought between 12 months and six weeks’ jail and 15 months and nine weeks’ jail for Tan, including an eight-year driving ban.
They stated that Tan had “obviously failed” to keep a look out for oncoming pedestrians, despite it being their right of way.
It was “unexplainable” why Tan had failed to spot Mdm Ong, they added.
The prosecution also cited the fact that Tan had stopped immediately after hitting Mdm Ong, and admitted to feeling a bump.
However, he had driven off “at a relatively fast speed”.
Per CNA, District Judge Kok Shu-En told the court that she struggled with the defence’s submission.
“He didn’t notice the pedestrian, he didn’t notice he knocked down the pedestrian, he didn’t notice he dragged the pedestrian and rolled over the pedestrian. So even if I accept that none of the dangerous driving elements are present, the degree of careless driving is quite astounding,” she said.
She added that there was a “significant degree of carelessness” in Tan’s case, and sentenced him to 10 months and four week’s jail.
Tan is also banned from driving for eight years.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and MS News.
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