Man who ran car into elderly couple fined

[Windsorhai]

Man who ran car into elderly couple fined

By Claire Huang | Posted: 18 December 2012 1509 hrs

SINGAPORE: A 40-year-old driver has been fined S$7,500 and banned from driving for 42 months for causing the death of an elderly pedestrian.

David Chang was fined a further S$4,000 for causing grievous injury to the pedestrian's wife.

On 22 January this year at about noon, Chang was driving along Telok Blangah Road towards Pasir Panjang when his car ran into the elderly couple.

He had shut his eyes for three seconds while driving because of fatigue.

Before the accident, the credit officer had been gambling at Resorts World Sentosa casino for 15 hours.

When he dozed off at the wheels, Chang veered to the left of the road and into the bus bay.

Mdm Ler Sock Hua, 70 and her husband, Yeo Ah Bah, 73 were standing at the bus stop, waiting to cross the road.

The collision killed Mr Yeo and seriously injured Mdm Ler.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Jamunah urged for a fine and a driving ban, saying Chang probably closed his eyes due to lack of sleep.

She said the accident happened along a straight road and at a place where pedestrians are expected.

Chang's lawyer said in mitigation that the two charges arose out of the same incident and that his client has been "severely traumatised" and has had nightmares after the accident.

The lawyer also stressed that Chang had rendered assistance to the elderly couple after the accident and had pleaded guilty at the first instance.

District Judge Wong Choon Ning took the various factors into account.

Describing the incident as "tragic", she said the question is "when we look back, was the accident avoidable in the first place?".

But the judge also agreed with the prosecution that the case falls in the non-custodial category.

- CNA/ck

 

[Anonymouse]

Wife of elderly man killed by driver who nodded off: He never even said sorry

December 22, 2012 - 12:59am

By: Audrey Tan

TNP PHOTO: Ariffin Jamar

HER first and last look at her husband’s coffin was through the window of an ambulance.

A few days before that, the couple had been knocked down by a car driven by a man who had nodded off at the wheel.

Madam Ler Sock Hua’s 73-year-old husband was killed and she was badly injured. She was told of his death only a day before his funeral.

The couple had been married for about 50 years.

Madam Ler was taken to the wake in an ambulance on the day of the funeral. Too injured to walk, she could only say a teary final farewell to her husband from inside the vehicle.

The 71-year-old told The New Paper on Thursday that she still gets nightmares about the accident and that the driver, David Chang, 40, has yet to apologise to her.

Read the full report in The New Paper on Saturday (Dec 22).