S'porean man, 61, gets 17 months' jail for speeding & fatally hitting woman, 76, in Bukit Batok

A Singaporean man, 61, pleaded guilty to speeding and hitting a 76-year-old woman in 2024, killing her.

Ang Kim Chuan, who was 58 at the time of the incident, was sentenced to 17 months' jail and banned from driving for eight years on Feb. 13 for his crimes.

The incident

The incident occurred on Jul. 20, 2024, along Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 towards Bukit Batok East Avenue 6 at about 5:55pm.

According to the written judgement, Ang was driving between 82km/h and 86 km/h on a road with a 50km/h speed limit.

As he approached a bend, he failed to keep a proper lookout and did not notice the victim crossing the road, though she was visible 2.8 seconds before the collision.

As such, Ang did not apply his brakes until 0.2 seconds before hitting the victim from her right side, while she was looking left.

As a result of the collision, the victim was flung into the air and landed more than 10 metres away from the area of impact, as previously reported.

She rolled a few times before landing face down.

A Shin Min reporter who was at the scene said that blood was seen on the road while the victim's body was covered by a blue tent.

Ang's black BMW was also parked in the middle of the road while he assisted the police with investigations.

He called for an ambulance and waited at the scene for police officers to arrive.

The victim was pronounced dead at 6:14pm.

The court noted that the road, weather and Ang's vehicle conditions were normal with no mechanical failure reported.

The victim's toxicology results were also confirmed to have not contributed to her death.

Sentencing

Ang was accused of driving without due care and attention, which caused the death of the victim.

The prosecution sought 21 to 24 months' imprisonment with an eight-year driving disqualification, on account of Ang's high culpability, for deterrence and in light of rising fatal accident cases.

The defence, however, sought nine months' imprisonment and an eight-year driving disqualification.

Ang's lawyer argued for lower culpability and suggested that, with "due respect" to the victim, her act of crossing the road at an undesignated crossing area contributed to a dangerous situation for herself and other motorists.

Ang had reacted as quickly as he could, he said, arguing that there was a "high degree" of carelessness, CNA reported.

He added that by pleading guilty early, Ang was remorseful for causing the death, which will weigh on his mind for the rest of his life.

While it remains unclear if the victim had jaywalked, the prosecution said that the area where she crossed the road was not a "no-crossing area" prohibited by law, or an offence.

It was an area where pedestrians would have to exercise care and attention if they chose to cross.

He added that 2.8 seconds was more than enough time for Ang to react if he had paid attention and was not speeding.

Ang will begin his sentence in March, and his driving ban will commence from his release from prison.

Under the Road Traffic Act, Ang could have been jailed up to three years, fined up to S$10,000 or both for careless driving and causing death.

Top images via SG Road Vigilante/YouTube & Shin Min Daily News