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S'porean PHV driver, 72-year-old Low Chu Seng, who hit woman, drove off & picked up 2 more passengers gets 8 months' jail
The 45-year-old victim, a mother of three, was in a vegetative state afterwards.
Xueting Wu
May 14, 2026, 06:09 PM
Photos from Shin Min and Google Maps Street View
After knocking down a pedestrian and seriously injuring her, a private-hire car driver did not stop, but insisted on sending his passenger to her destination first.
He then went on to pick up another two groups of passengers before finally turning himself in to the police about four hours after the accident, Shin Min Daily News reported.
The victim went into a coma and was in a vegetative state after the accident.
On May 13, the driver, 72-year-old Low Chu Seng, pleaded guilty to three charges, which include driving without due care and attention, moving his car and failing to render assistance after causing serious injury.
Another charge, for failing to stop after the accident to provide his particulars, was taken into consideration.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison from May 21 and disqualified from holding a driving licence for five years after his release.
The accident
The car accident happened at about 6:47am on Dec. 17, 2024, at a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Grange Road and Orchard Road.
The victim, a 45-year-old Indonesian woman named Elsye Wijaya, had just arrived in Singapore with her son two days before.
Wijaya had come to Singapore for a routine mammogram and check-up at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
That morning, she was jogging across the road when Low, failing to keep a proper lookout, collided with her, according to charge documents seen by Mothership.
The traffic light for cars had turned green, but Low did not notice Wijaya crossing, Shin Min reported.
When he hit her, Wijaya was sent flying. She slammed into the windshield of Low's car, then fell to the ground.
The impact was so strong that the windshield cracked.
Passersby said that the woman lay unconscious in a pool of blood, and her head was bleeding profusely.
Drove away
It was passersby who called an ambulance, as Low did not stop but drove off, according to Shin Min.
He continued towards Valley Point Shopping Centre to drop off a female passenger he had picked up earlier.
The passenger asked him to turn back immediately, but Low insisted on sending her to her destination first.
After he had done so, he returned to the site of the accident, where an ambulance had already arrived. Instead of stopping his car and providing his particulars, he drove off again, this time to pick up and complete two more rides.
It was 10:47am when he turned himself in at a police station.
Vegetative state
As a result of the accident, Wijaya suffered significant injuries, including severe bruises on her face, abrasions on the back of her head, multiple intracranial haemorrhages, and hip and spine fractures.
Her husband, with whom she has three children, rushed to Singapore to see her in the hospital.
By Jan. 31, 2025, she was still in a coma, and her family decided to take her back to Indonesia to get treated there.
As of April 2025, she continued to be in a vegetative state.
Sentencing
The prosecution sought eight to eleven months in prison, and a driving licence disqualification for five years.
They noted that the victim had crossed the road against traffic rules at the time, which reduces Low's culpability to an extent.
This point was highlighted in court by Low's lawyer, Shin Min reported.
Low's lawyer said that Low was not speeding or driving under the influence at the time. The street lights were dim, and there were many tall trees in the area, preventing him from seeing the road clearly.
Low also expressed remorse for not offering help earlier. He said he felt afraid and unsure of what to do as the accident happened very suddenly.
In the verdict, the judge asserted that even if Low was frightened at the time, he should have stopped to help the victim immediately, as that is the responsibility of every driver who causes an accident.
