SINGAPORE – A jaywalker was running for a bus when a motorcycle struck his bag, causing the rider to fall off and suffer three fractures.
Chinese national Hu Zhangwen, 48, a wood crafter, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Friday after he pleaded guilty to one count of causing hurt to the Malaysian motorcyclist by performing a rash act.
On Feb 28, 2022, between 7pm and 8pm, and after he had finished work, Hu was walking along Yishun Avenue 1 when he saw bus service 117 on the other side of the road.
At around the same time, Mr Yeow Ooh Aik, 54, was riding his motorcycle along the road.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh said that Hu decided to jaywalk as he wanted to catch the bus.
He attempted to run across the three-lane road, despite noticing that the motorcycle was only about 2m to 3m away.
The prosecutor added: “The accused, knowing that there was a real risk that the victim’s motorcycle may swerve to avoid hitting him when he was running directly across the motorcycle’s path, continued to run across the road, and it would have been unreasonable to have taken that risk.”
When he saw Hu running across the road, Mr Yeow sounded his horn and swerved in a bid to prevent a collision. His motorcycle, however, struck Hu’s bag, causing the vehicle to skid.
The two men fell and Mr Yeow suffered fractures to his right elbow, right shoulder and left wrist.
He had to undergo two operations and was hospitalised for 12 days. He was also given 74 days of hospitalisation leave.
Court documents did not disclose if Hu suffered any injuries.
The prosecutor said that at the time of the accident, the weather was fine, the road surface was dry, and visibility was fair.
On Friday, DPP Teh asked for Hu to be given between four and eight weeks’ jail.
He said: “The accused… knowingly flouted traffic rules at the material time by running across a road when he did not have the right of way.
“The accused’s reason for jaywalking was also frivolous – he took such a risk just so that he would not miss his bus.”
Defence lawyer Liaw Jin Poh, however, asked for his client to be given the maximum fine of $5,000, calling the case a freak accident.
For causing hurt to another person by performing a rash act, an offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $5,000.
Deadly addiction: Why do some pedestrians use their phones despite the risks?
How 'jaywalkers' lost the battle for road space to cars
Join ST’s WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
p.st_telegram_boilerplate:before {
display: inline-block;
content: ” “;
border-radius: 6px;
height: 6px;
width: 6px;
background-color: #12239a;
margin-left: 0px;
margin-right: 13px;
}
a.st_boilerplate {
font-family: “SelaneWebSTForty”, Georgia, “Times New Roman”, Times, serif;
}