Indian driver sentenced to jail for fatally hitting elderly woman in Singapore

Singapore, Dec 21:  An Indian national has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for reckless driving, causing the death of a 79-year-old woman in Singapore.

Lorry driver Sivalingam Suresh, 40, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one charge of driving without due care and attention, leading to Bernadette Mah Sui Har's death in February, The Straits Times newspaper reported.

Bernadette was walking across a zebra crossing in Marine Parade when the vehicle hit her, and she died on the same day due to a head injury.

Suresh, who has a history of errant driving, will also be disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for eight years after his release.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Benedict Teong told the court that Suresh was driving his lorry along Marine Terrace towards Marine Crescent at about 11.30 am on February 28. He said the traffic flow was light and the road surface damp at the time of the accident, and the weather was fine with good visibility.

Despite that, Suresh failed to notice Bernadette as he approached a zebra crossing alongside Ngee Ann Primary School, colliding into her, the prosecutor informed the court.

Teong said there was no evidence to suggest that possible mechanical failure of the lorry could have caused or contributed to the accident.

Bernadette was rushed to Changi General Hospital where a scan revealed she had suffered multiple injuries, including a skull fracture and bleeding on the surface of her brain. She was pronounced dead at about 7 pm.

Citing Suresh's history of driving offences, which included inconsiderate driving and failure to conform to a red light, Teong asked the court to sentence him to 10 to 11 months’ jail and impose a driving ban of eight years.

During his mitigation plea, Suresh, who did not have a lawyer, expressed his remorse at causing the death of the elderly woman, and said that he was the sole earner in his family in India.

"It depends on me to support my family by driving in Singapore. I’m very reliant on this job, Your Honour," Suresh, who has a two-year-old son and wife who severed her hand in an accident, said.

For causing death by driving a vehicle without due care and attention, Suresh could have been jailed for up to three years and fined up to SG$10,000.