Five days’ jail for elderly driver who knocked down two maids, two dogs

• Soh Poh Geok, 71, was sentenced to five days in jail and banned from driving for 18 months 
• She knocked down two foreign domestic workers and two dogs 
• One of the dogs died and the other has to undergo hydrotherapy for the rest of its life

SINGAPORE — A 71-year-old driver was on Friday (July 2) sentenced to five days in jail and disqualified from driving for 18 months upon her release, after knocking down two foreign domestic workers and the two dogs they were walking.

As a result of the collision, Soh Poh Geok heavily injured one of the domestic workers, a 46-year-old Filipina named Ms Janet Quisora Valdez, such that she was put on medical leave for more than nine months.

One of the dogs died and the other dog has to undergo weekly hydrotherapy sessions at a specialist veterinarian for the rest of its life.

The accident took place at about 5.30pm on March 14 in 2018. 

Court documents stated that Soh was driving a car along Trevose Crescent in the Dunearn Road area towards the direction of Plymouth Avenue when she failed to keep a proper lookout ahead and hit the women and the dogs from behind.

Before being hit, Ms Valdez was walking one of the dogs about one car length ahead of Ms Lorena Marinas Cortez. Both women were on the left side of the road, which had no footpath for pedestrians. They were flung onto a grass verge upon the impact.

Soh, who immediately stopped her vehicle, later admitted to the authorities that she did not notice anyone on the road before the collision.

Soh pleaded guilty to one charge of acting so negligent as to endanger human life and causing grievous hurt to Ms Valdez. Another charge for causing grievous hurt to Ms Cortez was taken into consideration during sentencing.

Ms Valdez suffered fractures on her wrist and shoulder blade, bleeding over her forehead, as well as swelling and tenderness on her shoulder and forearm.

She had to undergo two surgeries for her wrist injuries — one five days after the accident and another on Sept 4 that year. 

On her last visit to the orthopaedic clinic on Jan 10 in 2019, Ms Valdez still experienced some stiffness when pronating her left elbow. Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Woon Yee stated that the stiffness would likely be permanent.

The dog she was walking, named Max, was the one that died. Its owner had bought it for about S$7,000. 

Ms Cortez also bled on the head and suffered fractures on her lower body. She was warded in a hospital for 22 days and got 61 days of hospitalisation leave.

The dog Ms Cortez was walking, named Ruby, sustained injuries to its left hip for which it also had to undergo surgery.

The court heard that Ruby is no longer as active as it was before the accident and appears to be stiff in motion. Its owner has spent more than S$11,000 on its medical expenses since the accident.

When pleading for a S$5,000 fine, her lawyer, Mr Josephus Tan, asked for compassion to be extended to Soh, who had never committed a crime before this, in having to “stare imprisonment in the face at such a senior age of 71”.

He also said that Soh is “wholly embarrassed for her negligent brush with the law”, adding that she had indicated that she “will very likely give up driving for good post-sentence”.

“This is a case whereby we dare say that the offender will indeed not re-offend again and there is thus no need to throw the books at her,” Mr Tan said.

Furthermore, Mr Tan said that the victims will be duly compensated as civil proceedings relating to accident claims had long been underway. He last heard from the counsel for Soh’s insurer that she will be settling at up to 85 per cent liability for all connected claims.

Soh could have been jailed for up to two years or fined up to S$5,000, or punished with both for the negligent act.