Part-time PHV driver, 32, jailed 6 months after Queensway accident that killed passenger, 78, in Sep. 2024

A 32-year-old man who worked two jobs, including being a private hire driver at night, has been sentenced to six months in prison after he crashed into a tree while driving, resulting in the death of his 78-year-old passenger.

He has also been suspended from holding a driver's license for eight years.

Worked for more than 10 hours before starting his shift at night

According to Shin Min Daily News, the accident happened at 10:21pm on Sep. 3, 2024, at Queensway, in the direction of Ayer Rajah Expressway.

On that day, he had started his day job at 7:30am and worked until 6pm.

After that, he began picking up passengers as a part-time private hire driver.

At about 10pm, he picked up the woman. She was his 10th passenger by that point.

While his vehicle was travelling along Queensway, it lost control, veered to the right, crossed the divider and crashed into a tree.

After the accident, the driver turned back to call the deceased, but she did not respond.

He got out of the car and went to her side to call her again, to no avail.

Other drivers who witnessed the accident called the police.

The deceased was rushed to a hospital, but her injuries were too severe, and she was pronounced dead at 1:25am on September 4.

The cause of death was multiple injuries.

Prosecution: Defendant could have been fatigued from work

In their sentencing submissions, the prosecution noted that there were no other obstacles on the road and that the cause of the accident could have been due to the defendant being fatigued from working during the day.

They called for a jail term of seven to eight months and a suspension of driving for eight years.

During his mitigation plea, the driver's lawyer said that the defendant had not admitted to being tired at the time of the investigation and that the police had not drawn any conclusion on this matter.

The defendant, being fatigued at the time of the incident, was therefore merely the prosecution's inference, his lawyer added.

His lawyer also noted that the deceased had not been wearing a seat belt and therefore also bore some responsibility.

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