Chew Tai Lu, 56, who pleaded guilty, was driving his car at the junction of Airline Road in front of Changi Airfreight Centre on Feb 22 when he failed to keep a proper lookout and hit an oncoming car, causing it to hit two women cleaners, and also caused a third victim to fall down.

One of the victims, Ms Misrawan, 49, had a broken ankle while Ms Surati Ahmad, 52, had a knee contusion, and Ms Badariah Kamari, 53, chest contusion.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Stella Tan Wei Ling said Chew, a vice-president of product innovation with SIA, was driving out of his office that afternoon when he hit a car, driven by finance director Anwar Basheer Hidayathulla, 45, while making a right turn at the junction of Airline Road.

As a result, Mr Hidayatulla lost control of his car and mounted the centre road divider, hitting Ms Misrawani and Ms Surati . One of them standing infront of Ms Badariah pushed Ms Badariah as a result of the fall.

Defence lawyer Basil Ong told District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan that after the collision, his client checked if the three pedestrians were all right and remained there long after all they had been sent to hospital.

He said the uncontrolled junction had been the subject of complaints by motorists for a long time as vehicles had to traverse multiple lanes and watch out for oncoming vehicles in both directions.

He said Chew, who regretted his inattention at the time, had an exemplary driving record for more than 30 years. He also visited two of the victims and went to one of their homes to express his concern and remorse. His offer of compensaiton was rejected.

As a result of his conviction, Chew might lose his job as well as about $250,000 worth of share options, said the lawyer. The consequences he would suffer as a result of the accident were far greater than the punishment that would be imposed on him.

Chew could have been jailed for up to six months and/or fined up to $2,500 for the offence.