WHEN her car veered into the path of an SBS bus in January last year, the bus driver slammed on the brakes, injuring four passengers when they tumbled.
One of them, Mr Koh Chuan Hock, who was 57 then, fell on his head, suffered a blood clot in his brain and needed immediate surgery.
Yesterday, Yeap Bee Kim, 45, whose action was caught by a camera on the bus, pleaded guilty to inconsiderate driving and was fined $1,000.
Yeap, who helps out in her husband's transport business, had sent her daughter to Temasek Polytechnic that morning.
At 9am on Jan 18, as she tried to turn into the carpark at her block of flats, she went from the right lane on Bedok Reservoir Road to the left without warning.
She remained unaware of the incident until interviewed by the Traffic Police several weeks later. A camera on the bus had filmed the incident.
Defence counsel Selva K. Naidu argued that Yeap had no previous convictions, indicating "no prolonged bad driving on her part". Instead, he said she had a momentary lapse.
The injured passengers, including three who suffered bruises and cuts, have made claims against the car's insurer, Mr Naidu added.
Mr Koh, an administrator and financial controller at a tuition centre, was hospitalised for 20 days after his surgery. He also suffered some memory loss after the incident, which happened when he was on his way to his workplace in Yishun.
The penalty for inconsiderate driving is a fine of up to $1,000, a jail term of up to a year, or both.
