Food delivery rider admits colliding with man while using phone, victim suffered a stroke

SINGAPORE: A food delivery rider was involved in two collisions with pedestrians, one of them a 77-year-old man who suffered a stroke and racked up S$46,500 in medical bills.

Tian Wei Jie, 35, pleaded guilty on Monday (Nov 15) to four charges: Causing grievous hurt by a rash act, causing hurt by a rash act, voluntarily causing hurt and riding an electric bicycle on a footpath.

The court heard that Tian was initially working as a food delivery rider and used a motorised personal mobility device (PMD) that weighed 17.78kg.

At about 5pm on Jul 7, 2019, the victim, a 77-year-old man, left home for a walk.

He was on the footpath near Block 23, Bedok South Avenue 1, when Tian came by on his PMD.

Tian was riding at a speed of about 19kmh to 22kmh on the footpath when he checked his handphone for information on his job assignment.

He did not keep a proper lookout and collided with the victim, causing him to fall and sustain a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a type of stroke.

The victim also suffered bleeding within his skull and required surgery to save his life. He was warded for 102 days and given 70 days' hospitalisation leave, with his family incurring medical bills of S$46,557.

The expenses were fully covered by the victim's MediShield, MediSave and insurance payouts.

The victim's daughter lodged a police report, and Tian was arrested on Apr 7 last year. He was released on bail that same day, and the police seized his PMD.

THE SECOND INCIDENT

While on bail, Tian began working as a delivery rider for another company. At about 1.30pm on Mar 7 this year, he met some friends at a coffee shop in Bedok North, where he drank six 750ml bottles of beer.

He left the coffee shop at 7pm and rode his power-assisted bicycle while intoxicated, intending to head home.

He was riding on the footpath near Block 534, Bedok North Street 3, when he collided with a 60-year-old man, who was walking with his wife.

After the collision, Tian began cursing at the victim in Mandarin. The victim noticed that Tian reeked of alcohol and told him that he should not ride in such a dangerous manner.

Tian got agitated and pushed the victim to the ground, punching him multiple times. The victim also punched Tian, while his wife hit Tian with an umbrella.

Passers-by initially restrained Tian, who rode off after seeing the crowd that had gathered. The victim reported the case to the police and incurred S$126 in medical expenses, which Tian later paid him for.

He is set to be sentenced tomorrow.