S'pore driver, 62, runs red light, hits pregnant woman & drags her along road, gets 13 months’ jail

A 62-year-old man who ran a red light and struck a pregnant woman, dragging her along the road, has been sentenced to 13 months' jail.

The woman, who was 15 weeks pregnant at the time, suffered fractures to her ribs, wrist, spine and pelvis and was hospitalised for almost two months, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Chen Zhiguang (transliteration) pleaded guilty on Aug. 28 to one charge of dangerous driving.

He was sentenced on Sep. 24.

He was also disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for 10 years.

The judge granted Chen’s request to defer the start of his sentence until Sep. 28.

What happened

The accident took place at around 2:23pm on Jul. 31, 2025, along Upper Changi Road East towards Upper Changi Road North, Shin Min reported.

Chen was travelling in the third lane and was approaching a pedestrian crossing.

According to the prosecution, Chen had at least three seconds to notice that the traffic light had turned red and stop his vehicle.

However, despite having sufficient time to react, he did not stop or slow down.

His vehicle subsequently struck the woman, who was crossing the road at the time, causing her to fall forward.

She was then dragged along the road by the vehicle.

She was subsequently taken to Changi General Hospital for emergency treatment.

The woman suffered multiple fractures, including to her ribs, left wrist, spine and pelvis.

She was hospitalised for 59 days.

The woman also suffered an injury to her left renal artery, bruises to her scalp, a cut to her left knee, and a subarachnoid haemorrhage.

She underwent surgery after being admitted to hospital and was transferred to Singapore General Hospital the following day for further treatment.

Chen was arrested at about 5pm on the day of the accident and released on bail at 2:33am the following day.

Baby was delivered safely

According to Shin Min, the court heard that the victim continued to have difficulty walking after she was discharged from the hospital.

She also found it particularly difficult to squat and continues to undergo regular physiotherapy.

Despite her injuries, she was able to carry the pregnancy to term and the baby was delivered safely.

Prosecution had sought up to 20 months' jail

The prosecution said Chen’s actions were not simply the result of a momentary lapse in judgment.

Although he did not deliberately run the red light, he had not been paying attention to the road at the time, the prosecution said.

It noted that Chen had at least three seconds to observe that the traffic light had turned red before reaching the crossing.

The victim was also within his line of sight at the time.

In view of the severity of the woman’s injuries and the fact that she was pregnant, the prosecution sought a jail term of between 16 and 20 months, as well as a 10-year disqualification from holding all classes of driving licences.

The prosecution also told the court that Chen had seven previous traffic offences, including speeding and driving against the flow of traffic.