Ex-SMRT bus driver fined $2,500 over accident that injured 14 passengers
A former SMRT bus driver who failed to keep a proper lookout while driving and collided with another SMRT bus, injuring 14 passengers in the process, was fined $2,500 on Thursday (30 November).
Subramaniam S Kandiappan, 47, was also disqualified from driving for two years. The Malaysian, who is a permanent resident here, had pleaded guilty to the charge on 8 November.
The incident took place around 1.40pm on 25 January while Subramaniam was driving his bus – Service 858 – along Lentor Avenue towards Yishun Avenue 2. At the time, his vehicle was travelling behind another bus – Service 854 – driven by Teo Ser Hian.
When Teo stopped his bus after passing a bus stop, Subramaniam failed to stop in time as he did not keep a proper lookout and failed to maintain a safe stopping distance.
As a result, Subramaniam’s bus collided with Teo’s bus, leaving the front and rear of the respective vehicles badly crumpled and the windscreen of Service 858 badly damaged. According to court documents, the distance between the two buses was only one car’s length.
A total of 14 passengers from both buses were conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital to receive treatment for injuries ranging from abrasions and contusions to chest pains and neck sprains.
One passenger had to be hospitalised for 18 days after suffering a tear in his left rotator cuff, a chipped tooth, neck pain and neck arthritis.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Si En had asked for a $2,000 fine and a two-year driving disqualification. She said that Subramaniam’s culpability was relatively high, as he failed to keep a safe distance. There were also “many victims” as a result of the accident, Tan added.
Subramaniam’s laywer, A. Revi Shanker, said in mitigation that his client was a first-time offender and that it was his first accident in 17 years. Shanker also asked for a disqualification period of less than two years.
However, District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt replied, “I think what the prosecution has asked for is more than fair”.
For causing hurt to any person through a negligent act that endangers human life, Subramaniam could have been jailed for up to six months and fined.
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