[PMD-pedestrian rules] Singapore Court judges are high handed and biased or court reporter omitted something?
How can they fine a poor guy $3500 just for playing loud music and then say that he was "negligent" when it was in fact the pedestrian who was not keeping any clear lookout on where she was heading.
In fact, the court established that there was ZERO COLLISION to begin with, so probably the pedestrian was unfit with wobbly feet or the truly negligent party who fell down herself due to being inattentive or unwell to begin with. The PMD user was in fact travelling at a carefully REDUCED speed limit since at the material time, the maximum speed limit for footpaths was in fact 15kph (this was only reduced to 10 kph in early 2019 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...eed-limit-footpaths-cut-to-10kmh-pmd-10682204 ).
In fact, the loud music should have warned the negligent pedestrian that there was a PMD approaching. Perhaps the pedestrian was absorbed in her own personal family problems or looking at her handphone etc whilst crossing the street.
Either there is something important that has been missed by the state media court reporter or else a miscarriage of justice has occurred in this sad case.
The Singapore judiciary should avoid going on a witch hunt against PMD users just because some pedestrians were personally negligent and probably fell down due to their own carelessness or inattention to the traffic around them and suffered serious injuries as a result.
Perhaps the poor PMD user should be praised for stopping to help Mdm Yeo and call for an ambulance rather than just riding off since there was zero collision, implying that Mdm Yeo was just careless and fell down by herself. This unjust and ridiculous judgement thus encourages road users NOT to stop to assist accident victims so as to avoid being unfairly blamed for causing the accident when it wasn't their fault to begin with. Society will be overly defensive and uncaring as a consequence of this irresponsible and high handed judgement as the report portrays.
And if listening to music is a crime, then all vehicular radio and music systems should be disabled in all moving vehicles and likewise, any pedestrian who listens to music on the pavement or when crossing the road should be immediately fined $50 for behaving in a negligent manner in public.
Reference :
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/encounter-with-pmd-rider-left-woman-with-30-stitches
How can they fine a poor guy $3500 just for playing loud music and then say that he was "negligent" when it was in fact the pedestrian who was not keeping any clear lookout on where she was heading.
In fact, the court established that there was ZERO COLLISION to begin with, so probably the pedestrian was unfit with wobbly feet or the truly negligent party who fell down herself due to being inattentive or unwell to begin with. The PMD user was in fact travelling at a carefully REDUCED speed limit since at the material time, the maximum speed limit for footpaths was in fact 15kph (this was only reduced to 10 kph in early 2019 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...eed-limit-footpaths-cut-to-10kmh-pmd-10682204 ).
In fact, the loud music should have warned the negligent pedestrian that there was a PMD approaching. Perhaps the pedestrian was absorbed in her own personal family problems or looking at her handphone etc whilst crossing the street.
Either there is something important that has been missed by the state media court reporter or else a miscarriage of justice has occurred in this sad case.
The Singapore judiciary should avoid going on a witch hunt against PMD users just because some pedestrians were personally negligent and probably fell down due to their own carelessness or inattention to the traffic around them and suffered serious injuries as a result.
Perhaps the poor PMD user should be praised for stopping to help Mdm Yeo and call for an ambulance rather than just riding off since there was zero collision, implying that Mdm Yeo was just careless and fell down by herself. This unjust and ridiculous judgement thus encourages road users NOT to stop to assist accident victims so as to avoid being unfairly blamed for causing the accident when it wasn't their fault to begin with. Society will be overly defensive and uncaring as a consequence of this irresponsible and high handed judgement as the report portrays.
And if listening to music is a crime, then all vehicular radio and music systems should be disabled in all moving vehicles and likewise, any pedestrian who listens to music on the pavement or when crossing the road should be immediately fined $50 for behaving in a negligent manner in public.
Reference :
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/encounter-with-pmd-rider-left-woman-with-30-stitches
Woman suffered fractured skull, needed 30 stitches after near collision with PMD rider
The operation left Madam Yeo Eng Koong with 30 stitches, which were removed after about 11 days.
The operation left Madam Yeo Eng Koong with 30 stitches, which were removed after about 11 days.PHOTO: YEO ENG KOONG
PUBLISHEDSEP 13, 2019, 5:00 AM SGT
53-year-old suffered fractured skull after falling backwards in near collision
Kristelynn Lim
A wound that needed 30 stitches to close, and a dent in her head are the permanent reminders of a painful encounter Madam Yeo Eng Koong had with an e-scooter last year.
The 53-year-old compliance executive suffered a fractured skull and needed surgery after falling backwards when the e-scooter rider came close to colliding with her.
"After opening my skull, the doctor had to use the stapling method to seal the wound. I had a total of 30 stitches on my head and it was all the way down to my ears. I was shocked when I saw it."
The e-scooter rider, Tham Chee Boon, 36, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to causing grievous hurt to Madam Yeo by riding an e-scooter in a negligent manner.
He was fined $3,500.
Tham, a paramedic for a private firm, was riding his e-scooter home on March 29 last year at about 9.30pm.
He was approaching a traffic light junction near Block 362 in Woodlands Avenue 5 when he almost ran into Madam Yeo.
In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Madam Yeo said that after she had crossed the traffic junction, she heard loud music approaching.
It is believed that Tham was listening to music as he was riding the e-scooter. Tham, who was travelling at about 10kmh, applied the brakes on his e-scooter and avoided hitting Madam Yeo.
But she was so startled that she stumbled backwards and fell, hitting her head on the ground.
PAINFUL INJURIES
After opening my skull, the doctor had to use the stapling method to seal the wound. I had a total of 30 stitches on my head and it was all the way down to my ears. I was shocked when I saw it.
MADAM YEO ENG KOONG
She was unconscious for about one minute.
Her fall left her with head injuries, bruises on her chin and neck, as well as a cracked tooth.
She was later taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where doctors said she had a skull fracture and a blood clot in her brain.
The operation left her with 30 stitches, which were removed after about 11 days.
Madam Yeo said she was in intensive care for two days, and was then in and out of hospital for another 13 days.
She was given medical leave for three months after she was discharged.
Madam Yeo said her medical expenses added up to about $18,000 and her dental surgery required another $4,900.
She also said that Tham had sent a text message to apologise to her, but she was unable to reply immediately as she was still in hospital.
She responded later to his message, hoping to be able to talk to him privately.
She said: "I was hoping to solve the matter privately as I heard that he was young and I did not want him to go to jail and have his future ruined."
Madam Yeo said even though the accident was more than a year ago, she still has frequent headaches and tires easily.
Since then, she said, she has started paying more attention to her surroundings and is especially careful when she sees an oncoming scooter.
She said: "I will look left and right, and from time to time I will turn around and see if there is a scooter behind me."
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/encounter-with-pmd-rider-left-woman-with-30-stitches
The operation left Madam Yeo Eng Koong with 30 stitches, which were removed after about 11 days.
The operation left Madam Yeo Eng Koong with 30 stitches, which were removed after about 11 days.PHOTO: YEO ENG KOONG
PUBLISHEDSEP 13, 2019, 5:00 AM SGT
53-year-old suffered fractured skull after falling backwards in near collision
Kristelynn Lim
A wound that needed 30 stitches to close, and a dent in her head are the permanent reminders of a painful encounter Madam Yeo Eng Koong had with an e-scooter last year.
The 53-year-old compliance executive suffered a fractured skull and needed surgery after falling backwards when the e-scooter rider came close to colliding with her.
"After opening my skull, the doctor had to use the stapling method to seal the wound. I had a total of 30 stitches on my head and it was all the way down to my ears. I was shocked when I saw it."
The e-scooter rider, Tham Chee Boon, 36, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to causing grievous hurt to Madam Yeo by riding an e-scooter in a negligent manner.
He was fined $3,500.
Tham, a paramedic for a private firm, was riding his e-scooter home on March 29 last year at about 9.30pm.
He was approaching a traffic light junction near Block 362 in Woodlands Avenue 5 when he almost ran into Madam Yeo.
In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Madam Yeo said that after she had crossed the traffic junction, she heard loud music approaching.
It is believed that Tham was listening to music as he was riding the e-scooter. Tham, who was travelling at about 10kmh, applied the brakes on his e-scooter and avoided hitting Madam Yeo.
But she was so startled that she stumbled backwards and fell, hitting her head on the ground.
PAINFUL INJURIES
After opening my skull, the doctor had to use the stapling method to seal the wound. I had a total of 30 stitches on my head and it was all the way down to my ears. I was shocked when I saw it.
MADAM YEO ENG KOONG
She was unconscious for about one minute.
Her fall left her with head injuries, bruises on her chin and neck, as well as a cracked tooth.
She was later taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where doctors said she had a skull fracture and a blood clot in her brain.
The operation left her with 30 stitches, which were removed after about 11 days.
Madam Yeo said she was in intensive care for two days, and was then in and out of hospital for another 13 days.
She was given medical leave for three months after she was discharged.
Madam Yeo said her medical expenses added up to about $18,000 and her dental surgery required another $4,900.
She also said that Tham had sent a text message to apologise to her, but she was unable to reply immediately as she was still in hospital.
She responded later to his message, hoping to be able to talk to him privately.
She said: "I was hoping to solve the matter privately as I heard that he was young and I did not want him to go to jail and have his future ruined."
Madam Yeo said even though the accident was more than a year ago, she still has frequent headaches and tires easily.
Since then, she said, she has started paying more attention to her surroundings and is especially careful when she sees an oncoming scooter.
She said: "I will look left and right, and from time to time I will turn around and see if there is a scooter behind me."
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/encounter-with-pmd-rider-left-woman-with-30-stitches
