Jail for driver who accidentally stepped on accelerator while parking bus and rammed into man
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SINGAPORE – A bus driver who stepped on the accelerator instead of the brakes while she was trying to park the vehicle hit a man, leaving him with fractured ribs.
On May 24, Rossina Ahmad, 58, pleaded guilty to one charge of causing grievous hurt by a negligent act and was sentenced to three weeks’ jail.
She was disqualified from driving for three years.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benedict Teong said that at the time of her offence, she was working as a Strides electric bus captain.
In November 2022, after ending her shift, Rossina drove to Enterprise Hub in Toh Guan Road East to park the bus.
She parked it head-first into the designated lot to charge it, and alighted from the bus to check if she needed to move the bus closer to the charging cable.
Then, she saw the victim, a 29-year-old man, sitting less than a metre in front of the parking space while on the phone.
The DPP said Rossina decided not to speak to the man and, instead, move the bus slightly forward.
“She began to move the bus forward but just as she was intending to brake, she accidentally pressed down on the accelerator instead. This caused the bus to surge forward and collide into the victim,” said the prosecution.
The victim was dragged several metres under the bus before Rossina managed to stop the bus.
After the bus came to a halt, she alighted from the bus and found the man under its left tyre.
An ambulance was called, and the man was found to have suffered rib fractures and a significant deformity of his left forearm, said the prosecution.
DPP Teong added that the man is still unable to work as a result of the injuries, and is on hospitalisation leave till June 28, 2024.
Those convicted of causing grievous hurt by committing a negligent act can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $5,000, or both.
