Taxi driver fined and banned from driving after rolling over and fracturing passenger's foot

SINGAPORE: A taxi driver who accidentally drove over his passenger's foot, fracturing it, was fined S$4,000 and banned from driving for six months on Tuesday (Dec 8).

Soh Leong Quee, 63, pleaded guilty to one charge of causing grievous hurt to his 52-year-old passenger by a negligent act.

The court heard that Soh ferried the victim to a block in Sengkang on the night of Jul 4, 2018. As the passenger alighted through the right rear door of the cab at the service road of Block 441A, Fernvale Road, Soh failed to ensure that the victim had got out of the car completely and began to drive off. 

The victim had not stepped away from the cab, and the right rear tyre of the taxi ran over his left foot when Soh drove away.

The victim felt a sharp pain in his foot and stopped to rest before continuing his walk home. But when his foot began to swell, he called for an ambulance.

He was warded for a few days and diagnosed with multiple fractures in his forefoot and midfoot as a result of the accident. He underwent surgery for the fractures and received 338 days of hospitalisation leave.

The prosecution sought the sentence that was meted out, saying there were no aggravating factors in the case. 

Soh had pleaded guilty and had a good driving record. Court documents also said visibility was low at the time of the accident as it was dark.

Soh, who was unrepresented, said he was the sole breadwinner. 

Taxi drivers feel tired sometimes, he said, adding that he did not notice what he was doing and was not being rash.

Soh said he had a relief driver and that if he was banned from driving, the cab would have to be returned to the company and the relief driver would also be affected.   

For causing grievous hurt by a negligent act, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$5,000 or both. He could have been banned from driving for life as the offence was related to driving a vehicle.