E-scooter user who sped at 30kmh and crashed into 10-year-old girl fined
SINGAPORE — An e-scooter rider who sped at 30kmh while blasting music along a shared pathway in Pasir Ris crashed his device weighing almost 25kg into a 10-year-old girl, causing her front tooth to be knocked out, among other injuries, a court heard.
At the State Courts on Wednesday (11 March), the errant PMD user, Tan Jia Jun, 26, was fined $2,400.
The self-employed Singaporean, who imports and sells e-scooter parts online, pleaded guilty to one charge of causing hurt by doing a negligent act to endanger the personal safety of others, by riding at an unsafe speed.
E-scooter had digital speedometer
On 12 April 2018, Tan rode his e-scooter on the pathway along Pasir Ris Drive 1 towards Pasir Ris Drive 4 at about 8pm. The device was attached with a digital speedometer so he knew how fast he was going. The pathway had two lanes – a shared path and a pedestrian only lane.
The victim had just ended her tuition class and was walking home along the pathway, in between the two lanes. She cannot be named as she is a minor.
Near Pasir Ris East Community Centre, the victim heard music coming from Tan’s e-scooter and turned around to look. She saw the perpetrator approaching fast towards her, and turned forward and instinctively moved to her left to give way.
Tan had seen the victim walking ahead of him. “However, the accused was too close to the victim by this point and as he was travelling too fast, he was unable to stop his e-scooter or change his direction in time to avoid collision with the victim,” said Deputy Public Prosector Angela Ang.
“As a result, the accused collided into the victim’s right shoulder from behind, causing the victim to fall face forward onto the pathway, and hit her mouth on the ground. The victim immediately began to cry, and blood was seen dripping from her mouth,” the prosecutor added.
The victim was sent to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital via ambulance. She had abrasions over both elbows and knees, and mild abrasions over her forehead, among other injuries. Her upper right front tooth was also knocked out. Another tooth was dislocated, while three other teeth were partially dislocated.
At the hospital, the victim’s wounds were cleaned and stitched up. Meanwhile, her dislocated teeth were secured with a dental splint. The victim was given one week of medical leave and had to follow up with a dentist thereafter.
Tan later paid the victim $2,000 in restitution, for her medical fees.
The maximum punishment for causing hurt by a negligent act endangering the personal safety of others is up to six month’s jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
E-scooters were banned from footpaths from 5 November last year amid a rise in the number of accidents involving e-scooters and pedestrians, and stronger calls from the public for the ban of such devices on shared spaces. The speed limit for e-scooters on cycling paths and park connector networks is 25kmh.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Other Singapore stories:
COVID-19: Stay home if you're unwell during Qing Ming peak period, says NEA
Mee Toh School to take disciplinary action against pupils who bullied Primary 5 classmate: report
COVID-19: Singapore to shift from border control to social distancing
