Delivery driver jailed for careless driving after fatal accident involving elderly woman

SINGAPORE: A delivery driver was sentenced on Monday (Aug 1) to four months' jail after knocking down a 78-year-old woman in the central business district.

The victim died of head injury a day after the accident. Muhammad Said Shahidir Dres, 35, was also banned from driving for eight years after pleading guilty to one count of careless driving.

The court heard that on Apr 3, 2020, Said was driving his van along Cross Street while making a delivery at about 3.05pm.

He was driving on the extreme right lane as he intended to make a right turn at the junction of Robinson Road towards Collyer Quay.

Around the same time, the victim started walking across the signalised pedestrian crossing of Robinson Road between CapitaGreen and Hong Leong Building.

She had crossed three of the four lanes of the road when the front right part of Said's van collided with her. She fell to the ground bleeding.

Another woman who was waiting to cross the pedestrian crossing called the police to report the accident.

The victim was taken to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead the next morning.

Before executing the right turn, Said's van was the leading vehicle with no vehicles ahead or beside him, and his view was not blocked, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Ben Mathias Tan.

The victim was crossing in front of him, but Said did not notice her until he collided with her and heard a knock against his van, said the prosecutor.

The accident was captured by a closed-circuit television camera.

A mechanical inspection did not find any evidence of possible mechanical failure to Said's van that could have caused or contributed to the collision.

There was also no report of traffic light malfunctions on the day of the accident, according to a report dated Apr 24, 2020.

Mr Tan added that Said did not perform any dangerous manoeuvres and was not driving a heavy vehicle, hence his culpability was low.

But he highlighted that the accident happened at a pedestrian crossing where the victim was crossing "slowly and steadily on foot in full visibility".

Said was unrepresented, after his lawyer discharged himself at the start of the court hearing.

The punishment for careless driving causing death is jail for up to three years, a fine of up to S$10,000 or both.