Permanently disabled' taxi driver sues Government

[Yip Hon]

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ya...ya...most taxi drivers drove like that because they have a business to do,not sightseeing.

the taxi driver was driving on a straight road whereas the land rover was making a right turn. Taken into consideration of the time and the road they were on, it's very likely that the vc was daydreaming or having a nap although not stated. And very possible the rover driver made his own judgement that caused this accident.

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Another Possible Scenario


1) As mentioned by bro Krafty the taxi is driving
on the straight road . That means to say in army
"lingo" the taxi is moving toward " 12 O Clock "
direction.

2) The Land Rover was making a Right Turn. That means
to say . That means : The Land Rover & driver is facing
directly at " 9 O Clock "

3) In another word , That means the taxi is is heading
"North" and the LandRover is heading "West" .


4) Assume , the accident takes place at the "tee" formation:


T



<<< -------------- Land Rover moving "West"


^
^
^
'
'
'
'
'
' Taxi moving "North"







5) Assuming that both vehicles are speeding at max 60 km/hr. ,
assuning the Landrover vechile commander is "sleeping"
and the Land Rover Driver was tired after training etc...
and half sleeping. Also assume taxi driver half sleeping
due to late nite driving.


6) I view is that since Army vehicle is is " darker "
in colour and camouflage for battle ready and the
vehicle commander did not alert the Landrover Driver.
Therefore the Army Landrover should " Shoulder"
a greater "blame" say 80% at fault .
As stated at early posting the left side of Landrover was
damage. show that , taxi uncle cannot see the
dark camouflage side of the landrover.

7) Taxi uncle , 20% at fault for not be alert .
But even if he is alert : " how to see a dark
camouflage" battle ready vehicle ???

8 ) As a wake up call : the LandRover 's vehicle commander
should be taken to task for failing in his duties.



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[tima81]

u consider a dark green veh as camouflage??? how about those veh with balck or dark blue painting, do you consider them as camoflage as well?

 

[Yip Hon]

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u consider a dark green veh as camouflage??? how about those veh with balck or dark blue painting, do you consider them as camoflage as well?

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Let's Not argue about the " camouflage" colour thing ...

a) Maybe the Land Rover Driver is "colour blind "
to the colour of the taxi and or

b) Maybe the Taxi Driver as he ages is " colour blind"
to the colour of army the landrover


I just pray that the taxi uncle will be compensated enough to

tie him over this difficult period of his SunSet period of his life.


Unlike other "foreign talent" who come and go as they wish ,

taxi uncle, Choy Yue Leong, has contributed 20 years of his

working life to Singapore ( making a decent living ) while most

of us are soundly sleeping in the wee hours of the morning.

He has already paid with his health and almost with his life

let's us wish him well and a pray for a miracle that hopefully

he can even drive again one fine day...




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Every profession has their fair share of "black sheeps " amonsgt

them .

Let's not only zero - in on taxi drivers alone.


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SINGAPORE: A 65-year-old taxi driver, who was involved in a collision with a Ministry of Defence (Mindef) land-rover, has sued the Government in the High Court after the accident left him paralysed from the neck down.

Mr Choy Yue Leong, who was ferrying his last passenger during a night shift, was driving along Jalan Bahar towards Lim Chu Kang on April 3 last year at around 5.45am when the collision occurred.

The land-rover was travelling in the opposite direction and making a right turn at the time. The collision seriously damaged both vehicles and has left Mr Choy hospitalised since.

Mr Choy, through his lawyers S. Selvaraj and Daniel Atticus Xu from MyintSoe and Selvaraj, alleged the collision was caused by the land-rover driver's "sole negligence". The Mindef driver, who is 22 years old, had allegedly failed to keep any proper lookout and drove at an excess speed, among other things.

As a result, Mr Choy "has suffered personal injuries and consequential loss", Mr Selvaraj argued.

A National University Hospital (NUH) medical report said Mr Choy "will be permanently disabled from the accident".

The Attorney-General, who is acting on behalf of the Government in the civil suit, has denied the claims. The traffic light at the road junction indicated a red light with green turning arrow in the land-rover driver's favour, argued State Counsel Lim Sai Nei.

As the Mindef driver was making a right turn into the Pan-Island Expressway, Ms Lim said Mr Choy's taxi "suddenly collided into the front left portion of the Government vehicle". The accident was "wholly caused by the negligence of the Plaintiff in the driving, use, management and control" of his taxi, the AG argued in its defence filed in the High Court.

An interlocutory judgment has been entered which means both sides will share liability for the collision.

A further pre-trial conference has been set for May 15. As the suit is heard before the High Court, Mr Choy's claim will exceed $250,000.

When the collision occurred, the road surface was dry, the weather was clear and traffic volume was light. A passenger whom Mr Choy was ferrying was asleep when the collision occurred.

The land-rover's driver and four passengers were brought to a hospital. It is not known if the land-rover driver has been dealt with by the authorities.

After spending six months in NUH, Mr Choy was transferred to Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital last November for further rehabilitation.

When MediaCorp visited Mr Choy, 65, on Wednesday night, the former cabbie tried to speak, but his voice was barely audible. He also needed help for simple tasks - for example, a family member had to help roll him over to prevent bed sores from developing.

Mr Choy's son, Patrick, told MediaCorp that his father was finishing his shift when the collision occurred. He had also been driving a taxi for more than 20 years, Patrick added.


The family has had a trying time since the accident - not only are the cabbie's medical bills mounting, Mr Choy's wife was also diagnosed with breast cancer last December and is now undergoing treatment. - TODAY


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[tima81]

true, i do agree with you that not all taxi drivers are idiot but what about the poor rover driver & the vehicle commander? Aren't they Singaporean who had not choice but to lan lan serve the 2 years of NS? Would it be fair to them if its the taxi's fault but they are the one who had to be lock up in DB? I'm not a civil servent and not related to both parties but lets be fair to the poor boys too.

 

[Yip Hon]

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true, i do agree with you that not all taxi drivers are idiot but what about the poor rover driver & the vehicle commander? Aren't they Singaporean who had not choice but to lan lan serve the 2 years of NS? Would it be fair to them if its the taxi's fault but they are the one who had to be lock up in DB? I'm not a civil servent and not related to both parties but lets be fair to the poor boys too.

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Today Papers , as quoted here :

"An interlocutory judgment has been entered which means both sides will share liability for the collision... "

.. the judge has given his judgement that both side

share liablity for the collision ...


Frankly , there was No mentioned of DB=Detention Barrack ( u Mean ? )

in the newspapers ...


If the taxi driver is given a choice of DB ( a few months maybe )

or body Paralysis . Surely he will chose DB ...:(





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[Yip Hon]

Hi brother Krafty ,


being our resident cabby you are well placed comment :

a) the taxi uncle has 20 years of driving contribution
to the taxi company . How come no mentioned
in the newspaper about the taxi company ( Comfort
/ SMRT / whatever ... ) coming forward to assist
this taxi uncle in this trying times ...

b) are there any taxi asssociation and the like that can help
him ?

c) What insurance payout does taxi companies provide for
cabby who met serious accident like this one ?

tks bros

 

[krafty]

hi,bro,thanks,不敢当。。。

What I know is drivers have to buy their own insurance,so far never hear that taxi co will compensate. there is Spore Taxi assoc. but I dun know how they will help him...(That's all I know). But I can find out more and let you know soon.

Hi brother Krafty ,


being our resident cabby you are well placed comment :

a) the taxi uncle has 20 years of driving contribution
to the taxi company . How come no mentioned
in the newspaper about the taxi company ( Comfort
/ SMRT / whatever ... ) coming forward to assist
this taxi uncle in this trying times ...

b) are there any taxi asssociation and the like that can help
him ?

c) What insurance payout does taxi companies provide for
cabby who met serious accident like this one ?

tks bros

 

[winners]

that's provided e rover is going straight. How e hell is e rover gg do a turn @ 60kmh? Thats crap...oni taxi drivers will claim everyone else is speeding n they r nt.
Granted dey r earning a living, bt does dat mean we owe them a living? Knn
They hit u, tell u sob story, they hit u on e side or u hit dem, they claim max and curse n swear... Nt all, but i tink enuff of such asses ard to give them a bad rep.

True, only a moron will agree that a land rover can do a turn at the traffic light junction at 60km/h, WITHOUT OVERTURNING ITSELF FIRST, LOL.

Most taxi drivers are son-of-a-bitch as I concur with all you've written above. Let me recap 1 of my own incident:

I was riding a bicycle along Sims Ave. The fucking taxi had already picked up his passenger at a double yellow line kerb and started to move off. Obviously, I will tail behind it on the left and all of a sudden, it slowed down again and the rear left door was opened. I tried to avoid, but had my right shoulder smashed onto the frame of the rear left door. No damage was caused to my bicycle, but my right shoulder was badly swollen for about 5 days with 3 days of MC.

I asked the passenger why he suddenly alighted since he had already got into the taxi and it also had started to move off already? He told me that the driver subsequently told him that he's changing shift and refused to go to his destination. Hence, the driver told him to get another cab instead. Anyway, the taxi driver asked me not to make a police report and will pay for my medical expenses but instead, he asked the passenger to pay when we proceeded to a GP at Eunos immediately thereafter. We also exchanged our particulars of all parties involved. I tried to call the police at the scene of the accident, but the bitch at the other end told me that they are busy and if it's nothing serious, we should then "settle by ourselves". Otherwise, for their police to arrive will take quite a long time. This is the kind of service rendered by the men in blue when there's a need indeed. How ironic?

Anyway, to protect myself, I went ahead to make the police report the next day. Within 5 days, the fucking SMRT sent me a letter of demand (COMPLETE WITH ATTACHED PHOTOS OF DAMAGE) and asking me to pay for a total of about S$2k WITHIN 7 DAYS. These are for the repair (panel beating) to the taxi door's frame, respray work, change rubber seal and the loss of use by the taxi driver during its repair. WTF? The police's investigation has still not even concluded and this bastard was already asking for money from me. Obviously, I totally ignored and don't give a fuck to that letter. Actually, I was thinking of sending some of those HELL paper currency to them via mail instead. :oIo:

After about 2.5 months later, the verdict from the police's investigation arrived. I was not convicted, but both the driver and passenger were each fined S$200.

Just look at how the KNNBCCB taxi company had reacted? Without even the police's final verdict and they start to ask me for compensation in less than 5 days from the accident.
What about my injuries I had suffered and I didn't even sue them? FUCK INDEED.

 

[Yip Hon]

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True, only a moron will agree that a land rover can do a turn at the traffic light junction at 60km/h, WITHOUT OVERTURNING ITSELF FIRST, LOL.

Most taxi drivers are son-of-a-bitch as I concur with all you've written above. Let me recap 1 of my own incident:

I was riding a bicycle along Sims Ave. The fucking taxi had already picked up his passenger at a double yellow line kerb and started to move off. Obviously, I will tail behind it on the left and all of a sudden, it slowed down again and the rear left door was opened. I tried to avoid, but had my right shoulder smashed onto the frame of the rear left door. No damage was caused to my bicycle, but my right shoulder was badly swollen for about 5 days with 3 days of MC.

I asked the passenger why he suddenly alighted since he had already got into the taxi and it also had started to move off already? He told me that the driver subsequently told him that he's changing shift and refused to go to his destination. Hence, the driver told him to get another cab instead. Anyway, the taxi driver asked me not to make a police report and will pay for my medical expenses but instead, he asked the passenger to pay when we proceeded to a GP at Eunos immediately thereafter. We also exchanged our particulars of all parties involved. I tried to call the police at the scene of the accident, but the bitch at the other end told me that they are busy and if it's nothing serious, we should then "settle by ourselves". Otherwise, for their police to arrive will take quite a long time. This is the kind of service rendered by the men in blue when there's a need indeed. How ironic?

Anyway, to protect myself, I went ahead to make the police report the next day. Within 5 days, the fucking SMRT sent me a letter of demand (COMPLETE WITH ATTACHED PHOTOS OF DAMAGE) and asking me to pay for a total of about S$2k WITHIN 7 DAYS. These are for the repair (panel beating) to the taxi door's frame, respray work, change rubber seal and the loss of use by the taxi driver during its repair. WTF? The police's investigation has still not even concluded and this bastard was already asking for money from me. Obviously, I totally ignored and don't give a fuck to that letter. Actually, I was thinking of sending some of those HELL paper currency to them via mail instead. :oIo:

After about 2.5 months later, the verdict from the police's investigation arrived. I was not convicted, but both the driver and passenger were each fined S$200.

Just look at how the KNNBCCB taxi company had reacted? Without even the police's final verdict and they start to ask me for compensation in less than 5 days from the accident.
What about my injuries I had suffered and I didn't even sue them? FUCK INDEED.

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From what i understand , you have up to 6 years to

file your claims ... correct me if i wrong on this time line thing


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[winners]

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From what i understand , you have up to 6 years to

file your claims ... correct me if i wrong on this time line thing


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Anyway, I'm not 1 of those greedy nerds who will fake exorbitant medical expenses and since there's no bone breakage (to my shoulder), I then decided not to pursue it further.

 

[winners]

u consider a dark green veh as camouflage??? how about those veh with balck or dark blue painting, do you consider them as camoflage as well?

LOL, especially Inoescu's black AUDI. That's why the victims cannot see the black AUDI and subsequently got knocked down?

 

[Yip Hon]

Hmmm... Dr Silviu Ionescu " colour blind " ??? that's interesting ....:(

 

[krafty]

With so many hours on the road, there will be times that a taxi driver will lax in concentration. btw,have you all ever seen how a PRC ride a bicycle in Geylang at least? Good luck if you haven't,they ride on the roads like they are the only modes of transpsort on the road. there were many times that almost hit a stupid bicycle rider like this.

 

[winners]

With so many hours on the road, there will be times that a taxi driver will lax in concentration. btw,have you all ever seen how a PRC ride a bicycle in Geylang at least? Good luck if you haven't,they ride on the roads like they are the only modes of transpsort on the road. there were many times that almost hit a stupid bicycle rider like this.

That is because if you've been to CHINA, you'll see that they practice the same there. That is why in CHINA, the cars will use their horns non-stop and at every junction, and I always feel so irritated.

By the way, with so many hours of driving and lax in concentration are no good excuses. You can always take a short rest at a nearby carpark. Don't tell me all tired drivers are exempted from guilt and prosecution in the event of an accident?

 

[krafty]

ok,come straight to the point,you have to be on the roads as many hours as a cab driver to understand what it is like. There are black sheeps also, of course.

That is because if you've been to CHINA, you'll see that they practice the same there. That is why in CHINA, the cars will use their horns non-stop and at every junction, and I always feel so irritated.

 

[winners]

ok,come straight to the point,you have to be on the roads as many hours as a cab driver to understand what it is like. There are black sheeps also, of course.

Anyway, I will always despise taxi drivers. If one cannot take the stress of driving long hours, change one's vocation and don't be a taxi driver so that there will be less reckless drivers on our roads. There are not only abundant black sheep, but almost 98% of them are, I must say.

 

[krafty]

Despise! If you suay suay one day become cab driver,then come and preach.if not, I dun think you are qualified to despise.

Anyway, I will always despise taxi drivers. If one cannot take the stress of driving long hours, change one's vocation and don't be a taxi driver so that there will be less reckless drivers on our roads. There are not only abundant black sheep, but almost 98% of them are, I must say.

 

[knightriderz]

to be fair, i know of good cabbies, bt most of them seem to think we owe them a living e way they drive. N krafty, do cabs have signal indicators? Or do cab companies insist on cabbies making sudden lane changes? Yes, earn a living but do it w consideration.
I m sure i m nt the onlh one who feel cabbies r generally reckless drivers

 

[winners]

Despise! If you suay suay one day become cab driver,then come and preach.if not, I dun think you are qualified to despise.

I don't mind telling you that I do have a taxi driver's license, but I have never use it and I'm sure I'll never utilize it. I'll also not renew it at the next refresher course (conducted once every 6 years or so, I can't really remember). When I last attended, I'd fucked the instructor because I contested him on the need to attend such refresher course, pay the unnecessary money and waste our time, when we are not signing up for taxi driving yet? I can agree that it will be mandatory when we will decide to drive a taxi, but why must it be made compulsory even for non-active taxi driving license holders? Tell me the logic behind. Isn't it just out to generate additional revenue for the LTA or taxi companies?

Let me remind you again, don't use your number of driving hours to justify your reckless actions. If you are not fit to drive under stress, quit this vocation for another one. Taxi driving is not the only job in this world, less another innocent life is lost on our roads.

Another thing which I want to add that I despise of such drivers is that there are times when they overcharge deliberately. A couple of years ago, my expatriate's ELDERLY parents came to Singapore and they took a standard cab from Bishan to Henderson. Guess how much they were charged for the trip? Over S$20.00 without any ERP or additional surcharges because they were taken via a longer route unnecessarily. Notice how this son-of-a-bitch driver took advantage of ignorant elderlies coming from overseas? Such swindler cab drivers on our roads.

By the way, does anyone knows the outcome about that bastard taxi driver who deliberately killed a financial planner with his taxi by running him down after a minor car accident in the Orchard area? That bastard taxi driver even claimed in court proceedings that he had to run him down in self-defence because he was afraid of his opponent's larger size. What a fucking lame excuse?

 

[Yip Hon]

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Cabbie who knocked down financial planner
Singapore November 18th, 2007


"The cabbie who knocked down the financial planner after a minor accident, and subsequently causing the death of the latter, had been found guilty of rash act. He will be sentenced next month.

I’m not sure what was going on through the cabbie’s mind when he knocked the person down. Being a town area, I am sure that he’s aware of his own acts. Are the taxi companies coming down too hard on the taxi drivers to the extent that some are beginning to have pressure to work harder to pay for the ever raising costs of driving a cab (especially rent)? Will this lead to more drivers not thinking before they do something silly… like racing down the expressway?

Then again, I don’t mind a racing cab as long as he has control; but isn’t

speed and control an oxymoron? ....... unquote



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THE taxi driver who drove off with a man sprawled on the bonnet of his cab and caused him to fall off was yesterday convicted of causing death by committing a rash act.

District Judge Victor Yeo ruled that the evidence against relief taxi driver Lee Yuet Kong was “overwhelming” and that his defence was a “non-starter”. He said Lee’s “wilful disregard” for the life and safety of financial planner Alex Lim Wee Chong was “obvious” given the anger and distress of the witnesses in the trial.

At about 9.20pm on April 9 this year, Mr Lim, 30, and Lee, 68, were involved in a minor accident along Paterson Road. An argument ensued after both drivers pulled over minutes later along Scotts Road.

To stop Lee from leaving before giving his particulars, Mr Lim stood in front of the taxi, but the cab driver moved off nonetheless, throwing him onto the bonnet. Lee then accelerated and braked abruptly, causing Mr Lim to fall backwards and hit his head on the road.

Mr Lim fell into a coma and died about a month later in hospital.

The judge also described Lee as being “vague and evasive” during the trial, and slammed Lee’s account that Mr Lim had jumped onto the cab’s bonnet as “far-fetched” and a “mere afterthought”. Refuting Lee’s claim that he was afraid of Mr Lim, the judge added that there was “no evidence to remotely suggest that (Mr Lim) was going to be violent”.

Lee will be sentenced on Dec 3. — Teo Xuanwei

THE taxi driver who drove off with a man sprawled on the bonnet of his cab and caused him to fall off was yesterday convicted of causing death by committing a rash act.

District Judge Victor Yeo ruled that the evidence against relief taxi driver Lee Yuet Kong was “overwhelming” and that his defence was a “non-starter”. He said Lee’s “wilful disregard” for the life and safety of financial planner Alex Lim Wee Chong was “obvious” given the anger and distress of the witnesses in the trial.

At about 9.20pm on April 9 this year, Mr Lim, 30, and Lee, 68, were involved in a minor accident along Paterson Road. An argument ensued after both drivers pulled over minutes later along Scotts Road.

To stop Lee from leaving before giving his particulars, Mr Lim stood in front of the taxi, but the cab driver moved off nonetheless, throwing him onto the bonnet. Lee then accelerated and braked abruptly, causing Mr Lim to fall backwards and hit his head on the road.

Mr Lim fell into a coma and died about a month later in hospital.

The judge also described Lee as being “vague and evasive” during the trial, and slammed Lee’s account that Mr Lim had jumped onto the cab’s bonnet as “far-fetched” and a “mere afterthought”. Refuting Lee’s claim that he was afraid of Mr Lim, the judge added that there was “no evidence to remotely suggest that (Mr Lim) was going to be violent”.

Lee will be sentenced on Dec 3. — Teo Xuanwei





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