S’pore PHV driver allegedly accelerated while man, 71, alighting, causing fall & injury

An incident involving a private hire car soured a monthly meet-up between a nephew and his uncle.

Speaking to Mothership, the older man's niece, surnamed Foo, shared that her brother and 71-year-old uncle were alighting when the driver accelerated twice, causing her uncle to fall and sustain a bloody gash on his knee.

Still alighting

Foo's brother and uncle booked a private hire vehicle (PHV) ride via the Tada platform, from the Bukit Panjang area to JEM on Nov. 24 at around 11:05am.

When the pair reached their destination, Foo's brother alighted first and held the door open for his uncle.

However, the driver accelerated for about one metre as the uncle exited the car, Foo's brother said.

Foo's brother confronted the driver, asking why he would accelerate while his uncle was alighting.

However, the driver apparently did not respond and accelerated a second time while the door was still open.

This second acceleration caused Foo's uncle to fall, leaving him with a nasty gash on his knee that bled on his white pants.

Foo's brother questioned why the driver accelerated the second time.

However, the driver apparently remained silent.

Foo's brother then closed the car door and attended to his uncle, while the driver drove off.

Foo's brother brought their uncle to the hospital to get his wounds dressed, and a nurse had to cut away their uncle's bloodstained pants.

"My uncle was very upset about this incident as [our] monthly meet up was spoilt by this incident," Foo's brother told Mothership.

"[My uncle] told me the driver is irresponsible and didn't care for the passenger after the incident," he added.

Foo shared that the open wound will require careful attention as her uncle has diabetes, which complicates wound healing.

She said her family is "worried sick" as her uncle lives with her elderly aunt, who is in her 80s.

"Both of them cannot see very well and may not be to provide care to the wounds caused by the accident," Foo said.

Reports filed

Foo shared that they have written to Tada to report the case.

They also made a police report and contacted other ride-hailing companies, hoping to "warn them of the behaviour of this particular driver" as they considered that he may be driving for them as well.

The Singapore Police Force confirmed with Mothership that a police report was filed, and said investigations are ongoing.

In response to Mothership's queries, a Tada spokesperson confirmed that the incident was reported and that they have contacted both parties for further investigation.

"The driver has expressed his willingness to resolve the matter amicably," the Tada spokesperson told Mothership.

The spokesperson added that Tada reminded the driver of the importance of ensuring rider safety and issued a formal warning to him.

"We have been in contact with the rider to offer our assistance and have recommended resolving the matter directly with the driver to facilitate open communication," said the spokesperson, who also added:

"We care deeply about the safety and well-being of our riders and will continue to monitor the situation closely."

However, Tada told Foo on Nov. 26 that the company had concluded its investigation, but the driver said he "does not recall anyone was hurt".

Foo was also given the driver's phone number by a Tada representative.

"This is very shocking to me and the family," she said, saying that Tada did not try to access CCTV footage of the incident or look into the matter further.

"We are given the phone number of the driver to deal with the situation ourselves," she commented.

"Tada actually concluded like it’s okay for the driver to forget despite us attaching the police report, hospital invoice and photos from the injuries," she added.

Foo is hoping that witnesses of the incident, or drivers who might have captured it on their vehicle's dashboard camera, will get in touch with the family.

Top photos via Foo