Woman gets fine, driving ban for colliding with pedestrian at traffic junction near Supreme Court

SINGAPORE: A woman was fined S$4,000 and banned from driving for five years for colliding into a man who was crossing the road near the Supreme Court with the green man blinking in his favour.

The victim, an assistant registrar of the High Court, suffered a dislocated shoulder and a facial fracture among other injuries.

Liew Shue Ying Gillain Jessica, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of driving without due care and attention by failing to keep a proper lookout when turning right from High Street to North Bridge Road.

The court heard that Liew was driving her car along High Street towards Parliament Place at about 6pm on Apr 5 last year. It was drizzling and the road surface was wet, but traffic flow was light and visibility was clear.

Liew failed to keep a proper lookout when making a right turn onto North Bridge Road and collided into the victim, 42-year-old Paul Tan Wei Chean. Mr Tan was crossing the pedestrian crossing from Liew's left to right side, while the lights were blinking green in his favour.

An eyewitness walking on the pavement heard a "thud" and saw that Liew's car had collided with Mr Tan. She called the police, saying an accident had occurred and that the pedestrian involved was injured and bleeding.

Mr Tan was taken to hospital, with a "fracture dislocation" of his right shoulder, a lacerated eyebrow, an abrasion on his knee, a facial facture and left orbital floor and roof fracture.

The condition of his shoulder will affect his daily living until the fracture heals, which can take between three to six months, the court heard.

He was warded for five days and discharged with 49 days of hospitalisation leave.

The prosecutor asked for a S$5,000 fine and the mandatory five years' driving ban, saying that Liew failed to stop and give way at the traffic junction when a pedestrian was crossing, and for not proceeding at a speed that would enable her to stop before reaching the crossing.

The victim had the right of way, he said, and suffered a fracture to his face, a vulnerable part of the body. His right shoulder condition will also affect his daily living until it heals, which is quite a considerable length of time, said the prosecutor.

However, he said he had considered the mitigating factors such as Liew's clean driving record, full cooperation with authorities and the fact that she rendered assistance after the accident.

Defence lawyer Josiah Anthony Zee of Invictus Law asked for a S$4,000 fine and a driving ban of five years. He said his client has an "unblemished driving record", having had her driving licence for 26 years, and this is her first time committing a traffic offence.

He said Liew is a single mother whose two-year-old daughter is often in ill health. She works hard and saves hard to care for her daughter and pay for her medical bills, said Mr Zee.

At the time of the offence, she received a call from her helper saying that her daughter was down with a fever, the lawyer said.

"Our client is extremely remorseful for this unfortunate incident," he said, adding that the difference of S$1,000 in the fine asked for would go a long way in providing medical care for Liew's daughter.

For driving without due care and attention, Liew could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.