Two weeks' jail for driver who caused pedestrian's death

Soh Han Seong, 42, was yesterday sentenced to two weeks' jail and disqualified from driving for five years.
Soh Han Seong, 42, was yesterday sentenced to two weeks' jail and disqualified from driving for five years.

A 42-year-old Uber driver hit a pedestrian in Tiong Bahru Road in January last year, knocking him unconscious. The victim, a Philippine national, never regained consciousness and died later that day.

For causing the death of Mr Erwin Delacana Bermejo, also 42, Soh Han Seong was yesterday sentenced to two weeks' jail and disqualified from driving for five years.

District Judge Luke Tan allowed Soh, who pleaded guilty in November last year, to spend Chinese New Year with his family and he will begin serving his sentence on Feb 11.

Bail remained at $15,000.

The court heard that on Jan 27 last year at about 4.45pm, Soh was driving on the right lane of the two-lane Tiong Bahru Road, heading towards Outram Road. He was ferrying a passenger to Sentosa.

He did not notice Mr Bermejo, who was crossing the road, until it was too late, and could not brake in time. Soh's vehicle collided with the pedestrian, who was taken to Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where he died at 9.48pm that evening.

The weather was fine during the accident, the road surface dry, the road ahead clear and there was nothing that would have affected Soh's visibility, the court heard.

A medical report said Mr Bermejo lost consciousness after the accident and he was bleeding from his scalp and mouth on arrival at SGH. A CT scan showed multiple fractures in his head, chest, abdomen and pelvis. He went into cardiac arrest and did not respond to resuscitation.

For causing death through a negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, Soh could have been jailed for up to two years and fined.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 10, 2019, with the headline Two weeks' jail for driver who caused pedestrian's death. Subscribe