Jail, driving disqualification for SMRT bus driver who ran over construction worker in Tanjong Pagar

SINGAPORE – While making a right turn in Anson Road, a bus driver failed to notice a construction worker standing there and ran him over.

The victim, a 35-year-old Indian national, fractured his right ankle and had a meniscus tear on his left knee.

The driver, Muhammad Adi Abdullah, 50, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Sept 1 after pleading guilty to one count of driving without due care and attention causing grievous hurt.

He will also be disqualified from driving for five years after his release from prison.

The court heard that Adi had been driving an SMRT bus along Palmer Road towards Anson Road in Tanjong Pagar at about 5.25pm on June 27, 2024.

As the traffic light was green when he reached the signalised junction, the bus driver made a right turn onto the fourth lane of Anson Road.

The victim, who was working as a traffic controller for a construction firm, was standing on the fourth lane of Anson Road, with his back facing oncoming traffic.

As Adi did not see the victim standing on the road while making the right turn, the bus collided with the victim, causing him to fall.

The bus’ front left tyre ran over the victim’s legs, while the left rear tyre narrowly missed him.

Adi stopped the bus to help the victim, who was taken to Singapore General Hospital.

The incident was captured by a nearby security camera located outside one of the buildings in Anson Road.

Court documents stated that the victim underwent surgery for ankle fracture on June 29, 2024, and was discharged on July 12, 2024.

He was given 86 days’ hospitalisation leave.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheryl Tan sought a jail term of between five and eight weeks, and five years’ driving disqualification for Adi.

Tan noted Adi that was making a discretionary right turn, which required him to keep a lookout for pedestrians.

She said the victim was wearing a reflective vest and had placed a traffic cone to alert oncoming traffic about the temporary closure of the lane.

Tan added that there was a high degree of carelessness exhibited by the bus driver as he had executed the turn for at least five seconds while the victim was standing in full view.

She said: “Crucially, the accused did not slow down immediately prior to and immediately after the collision.

“Instead, the bus was seen continuously moving at a moderate speed throughout the turn and for at least four seconds after first colliding into the victim, before coming to a halt.”

For driving without due care and attention causing grievous hurt, an offender can be fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.

The Traffic Police’s mid-year statistics showed that there were more accidents and more injuries in the first half of 2026, continuing an upward trend of the past three years.

This is despite a drop in fatalities, which fell from 79 in the first half of 2025 to 61 in the first half of 2026.

The number of traffic accidents resulting in injuries increased from 3,748 in the first half of 2025 to 3,869 in 2026.

Injuries rose from 4,894 in the first half of 2025 to 5,090 during the same period in 2026.

Adi will begin serving his sentence on Sept 7.