Lorry driver gets fine, ban for colliding into retiree at loading bay

SINGAPORE: A lorry driver was fined S$1,000 on Tuesday (May 10) for colliding into a retiree at a loading bay, causing injuries.

Balakrishnan S Subramaniam, 68, also received a 10-month driving ban for class 4, 4A and 5 vehicles, which includes heavy vehicles.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of endangering the personal safety of others through a negligent act.

The court heard that Balakrishnan was driving a lorry at the loading and unloading bay of Valiant Industrial Building at around 11.50am on Apr 14, 2021.

He parked the lorry beside a container chassis to wait for a parking lot.

The victim, a 61-year-old retiree, was walking around the bay then and decided to go between the lorry and the container chassis.

At the same time, Balakrishnan decided to move his lorry to park in a lot that had freed up.

When he did so, he failed to keep a proper lookout and did not notice the victim walking between his lorry and the container chassis, according to court documents.

The left side of the lorry collided into the victim, who was taken to the hospital. He was found to have sustained bilateral rib fractures and a liver contusion.

He was hospitalised for four days and given 14 days of hospitalisation leave.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ang Siok Chen sought a fine of S$1,000 to S$1,500 and a driving ban. She said the injuries caused were relatively serious and amounted to grievous hurt.

Defence lawyer Lolita Andrews asked for a fine of not more than S$1,000. She also asked for the driving ban not to exceed five months, and to cover only class 5 vehicles.

She said that Balakrishnan was the sole breadwinner of his family, and that driving had been his livelihood for the past 30 years.

She also argued that there were safety cones around the area that would have ensured pedestrians did not pass through such areas.

"We submit that it is humanly impossible for anyone to go through such a narrow space," said Ms Andrews. "Yet the victim wiggled his way through these areas."

In response, the prosecutor said that Balakrishnan's charge was already reduced from his original charge of causing grievous hurt by a negligent act, which carries a higher penalty.

This took into account any contributory actions by the victim, said Ms Ang.

The judge granted an application for Balakrishnan's driving ban to be delayed by a month, giving him time to hire a driver to fulfil business contracts at his firm.

The punishment for endangering the personal safety of others through a negligent act is jail for up to three months, a fine of up to S$1,500, or both.