S'pore woman, 36, gets 11 days' jail after stepping on accelerator & hitting pedestrians at taxi stand outside Serangoon mall

A 36-year-old female driver who rammed into pedestrians at a taxi stand outside a mall in Serangoon after mistakenly stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake was recently sentenced to 11 days' jail.

The Singapore permanent resident pleaded guilty on Apr. 6, 2026, to one charge of driving without due care and attention, causing grievous hurt to a 48-year-old woman standing at the taxi stand, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

According to documents viewed by Mothership, Li Na will also be disqualified from driving for five years from the date of her release.

Another charge of causing hurt by driving without due care and attention was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The incident

This comes after Li left home at around 7am on Feb. 10, 2025, with her husband and their six-year-old son to send the boy to school.

Her husband, who was initially driving, dropped their son off at school before driving towards Nex Mall in Serangoon Central.

Li then took over the driving from her husband before reaching the taxi stand outside the mall, as she intended to drop him off at the taxi stand for work.

At that time, the taxi stand was busy with pedestrian traffic, with at least 10 people standing in the vicinity near the taxi stand.

As Li approached the taxi stand at about 7:49am, she stepped on the accelerator instead of braking as she had intended.

Hit pedestrians

This caused the car to surge forward and hit the victim, where its front left wheel ran over her right foot.

Li's car also collided with two other pedestrians standing at the taxi stand, causing them to fall.

The front-right portion of her car also struck the rear bumper of a stationary taxi with its driver and passenger inside.

Injuries

As a result, the victim suffered injuries including open fractures to the bones in her right leg, a fractured pelvis, a puncture wound to her left thigh, and a deep laceration to her right calf.

She underwent multiple surgeries and was given 89 days of hospitalisation leave.

The other pedestrians, the taxi driver and the passenger also suffered varying degrees of hurt, and were given medical leave ranging between two and seven days.

Penalties

The deputy public prosecutor, who sought 15 to 20 days' jail and a five-year disqualification from driving, said Li’s lapse was significant as it involved her confusing two critical vehicle controls with opposite functions.

Defence lawyer Anil Singh Sandhu said in mitigation that this was Li’s first brush with the law, ST reported.

He said: "She knows she has a price to pay and she's pleading for leniency."

"Crucially, after the accident, she has not driven and is not likely to ever drive again."

Top photo via video submitted by Mothership reader