A 69-year-old woman crossing the road at a Beach Road junction had her right foot run over by a tour bus that was turning left.

Following the accident on Mar. 30, she had to go for five surgeries and her foot was permanently deformed.

The 41-year-old Malaysian driver, Munesvaran a/l Kanesen, was arrested for careless driving.

The accident

According to court documents, on Mar. 30 at around 9:03pm, Munesvaran was driving his bus along Jalan Sultan and was about to make a left turn into Beach Road.

It was drizzling at the time but visibility was clear and the area was well-lit.

He approached the cross junction in front of the City Gate mall, which showed a green signal for vehicles.

Footage from a traffic camera showed that the pedestrian crossing signal was also green and the victim, along with other pedestrians, began to cross the road.

While they were doing so, Munesvaran turned onto Beach Road without stopping or slowing down.

Ran over victim's right foot

His bus then hit the victim, causing her to fall to the ground.

Court documents indicated that the front left tyre of the bus ran over the victim's right foot, pinning it underneath.

As the bus had stopped, other pedestrians ran up to tap the side and tell Munesvaran to move the bus.

He then inched the bus forward so that they could pull the victim out from underneath the tyre. The police were alerted at around 9:04pm.

An ambulance arrived 10 minutes later to bring the victim to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Said he didn't see victim when making turn

Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min) previously reported that the victim is the owner of a Japanese restaurant.

Following the accident, she was seen sitting on the ground, clutching her injured foot and wailing that she did not want to live anymore.

Her husband rushed over from work to comfort her and accompany her to the hospital.

Munesvaran had also told Shin Min that he was unfamiliar with the area, but was preparing to pick up passengers from a hotel.

He claimed that he did not see the victim when he made the turn, and said he only realised he had hit someone when passers-by started shouting and banging on his door.

He was subsequently arrested for careless driving causing grievous hurt.

Right foot permanently deformed

Court documents stated that the victim suffered fractures to her right foot and finger joints.

Her right foot was also permanently deformed as a result.

She was hospitalised for a total of 34 days, and was given a total of 108 days of hospitalisation leave.

She also had to undergo at least five surgeries.

'Accused flouted multiple traffic rules': Prosecution

Munesvaran was charged with causing grievous hurt while driving a bus.

He appeared in court on Aug. 16.

The prosecution asked for a deterrent sentence of 10 to 12 months' jail and a five-year driving licence suspension for Munesvaran.

The prosecution said that the victim's "quality of life was heavily affected" from her multiple hospitalisation stints and months of hospitalisation leave, in addition to having a "permanent deformity" and needing to go for multiple surgeries.

The prosecution added that Munesvaran had flouted multiple traffic regulations, by failing to slow down at the junction, and failing to stop or give way to pedestrians at the pedestrian crossing when the lights were in their favour.

Pleaded guilty after hearing evidence from witnesses

Munesvaran initially disputed the charges.

He pleaded guilty after hearing the evidence provided by three of the prosecution's witnesses.

The prosecution said that he showed "a palpable lack of remorse" and "his plea of guilt should be given little to no weight."

Munesvaran was sentenced to eight months' jail, according to Shin Min, and was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for five years.

Top image from Shin Min Daily News