5 months' jail for delivery driver who crashed into 2 pedestrians, ignored plea to call for ambulance
The zebra crossing where Sheik Salim Said knocked down the 37-year-old woman and her daughter, aged nine, leaving the girl with a traumatic brain injury requiring surgery.
- A man was jailed for five months and given a five-year driving ban for causing grievous hurt to a mother and her nine-year-old daughter
- The prosecution said Sheik Salim Said drove off after moving the victims to the side of the road
- He ignored pleas by the mother for him to call for an ambulance for the girl, who suffered a traumatic brain injury that required surgery
- His defence lawyer said he completed a food delivery order after the accident before returning to the scene
BY
TAUFIQ ZALIZAN
Published August 22, 2022Updated August 22, 2022
SINGAPORE — On his way to completing a food delivery job, Sheik Salim Said crashed his car into a mother and her nine-year-old daughter at a zebra crossing in Bedok, leaving the girl with a traumatic brain injury that required surgery.
Sheik Salim, 46, stopped briefly to move the victims to the side of the road but ignored the woman's plea for him to call for an ambulance, then drove off to complete his food delivery.
On Monday (Aug 22), Sheik Salim was jailed for five months and given a five-year driving ban upon his release after pleading guilty to two counts of causing grievous hurt while driving without due care. Three other charges relating to the incident were taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court heard that at about 8.20pm on April 18, 2021, Sheik Salim was driving along Bedok North Drive and was filtering into the slip road to exit into Bedok North Avenue 1.
As he did not keep a proper lookout, he ploughed into the 37-year-old woman and her daughter, who were walking on the zebra crossing on their way home from Bedok Mall.
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The victims cannot be named as any information leading to the identification of individuals under 18 cannot be published under the Children and Young Persons Act.
“At no point before the collision did the accused slow his vehicle down,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin.
The court document and footage of the incident played in court showed that Sheik Salim got out of his vehicle and helped move the victims to the side of the road.
He also did not help the victims, even though the mother pleaded with him to call for an ambulance, said the prosecution. Instead, the man drove off and had to be tracked down by the police.
In seeking a jail term of four to six months and a driving ban of at least five years, DPP Bin highlighted the seriousness of the injuries that the victims suffered.
The girl suffered traumatic brain injury and had to undergo an invasive surgery. She was sedated for 10 days in the intensive care unit.
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She still experiences short-term memory problems and behavioural changes, he told the court.
The mother suffered relatively minor injuries, including abrasions.
Defence counsel Audrey Koo of Populus Law told the court that her client had asked a passerby to call for the ambulance as his phone was in his vehicle at the time.
While he left to complete his food delivery order, he returned to the accident scene later, but found that the victims were no longer there by the time he arrived.
Sheik Salim was also unaware that he could not drive off after an accident, said the defence lawyer.
Ms Koo told the court that Sheik Salim is the sole breadwinner for his family. He has nine children, two of whom go to a special education school. He also takes care of his sister who is bedridden with epilepsy. The problem with inbreeding.
In pleading for a lower sentence of three months’ jail and the minimum driving ban of five years, Ms Koo said her client was very remorseful, had pleaded guilty and fully cooperated with the authorities during investigation.
His wife, who attended court with some of their children, was heard crying after Sheik Salim’s sentence was passed. He was given the opportunity to speak to them before being led away to commence his prison term.
For causing grievous hurt by driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, Sheik Salim could have been fined up to S$5,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
