E-scooter rider going at 28km/h at void deck injures man’s leg, gets 6 weeks’ jail

SINGAPORE — After his night shift at a bus depot, A Sujendran, a cleaner and part-time pump attendant, was riding his e-scooter home. Mr Mohamed Salam Kadir was a bus driver on his way to work for the morning shift.

In the wee hours of the morning last year, the two men crossed paths under a public housing block in Yishun, with Sujendran hitting Mr Salam and leaving him with leg injuries that needed more than a month’s stay in hospital cumulatively.

Sujendran was riding the non-compliant e-scooter with an unladen weight of close to 27kg at a speed of 28km/h. This exceeded the 20kg maximum weight of the device and the maximum speed of 10km/h on footpaths and 25km/h for shared paths allowed under regulations.

For committing the rash act that caused grievous hurt to Mr Salam, 53, the 28-year-old was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Tuesday (Oct 8).

His case concluded a day after Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Transport, said in Parliament that the Government may have “no choice” but to completely ban the use of personal mobility devices (PMDs) in Singapore if the behaviour of those riding them does not improve.

In court on Tuesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kong Kuek Foo said that a general deterrence sentence “must take precedence” when considering what is an appropriate penalty for Sujendran, noting that there has been a steady stream of accidents involving PMDs. 

DPP Kong added that there were 228 reported accidents involving PMDs in 2017 and 2018 contributing to one death and 196 injuries, and stressed that there is a “clear urgency” in combating the reckless use of such devices.

“Speed is a significant reason for these numbers,” he said, urging the court to “send a clear signal of disapproval” on irresponsible PMD use.

E-SCOOTER COULD GO UP TO 45KM/H OR MORE

Sujendran’s behaviour, in particular, was “outrageous”, he said, pointing out that the rider did not reduce his speed although he was using a non-compliant e-scooter at an unsafe speed, in a public space where pedestrians are present.

Court documents showed that Sujendran’s e-scooter had three gears with varying speeds.

The first gear had a maximum speed of 28km/h, the second had a speed range of 29km/h to 45km/h, while the speed range of the third gear was unknown to him. 

He would usually travel at about 28km/h, and in May last year, he was riding at that speed on his way home after leaving Seletar Bus Depot at 2.30am.

Around 3am, as he approached the lift landing area at the void deck of Block 293, Yishun Street 22, Mr Salam was also walking towards the same area.

However, Sujendran failed to keep a lookout and applied his brakes to the e-scooter too late upon seeing him, hitting Mr Salam on his right leg and causing him to fall backwards onto the ground.

Mr Salam could not stand up after that and an ambulance later took him to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

The bus driver, who is working for public transport operator Go-Ahead Singapore, was first hospitalised for 15 days as scans revealed that he could be suffering from a bone fracture due to physical trauma.

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Later, he was warded again for another 32 days after he complained of persistent pain in the right knee and calf during a follow-up visit to the hospital.

In mitigation, Sujendran, who is not represented by a lawyer, pleaded for leniency and “one last chance”, telling the court that he would not be riding e-scooters ever again.

However, District Judge John Ng ultimately agreed that he should be given the sentence that DPP Kong had asked for and imposed a six-week jail term.

He granted Sujendran’s request to start his sentence on Nov 11 so that he could spend the upcoming Deepavali holiday with his family and complete their move to a new home.

Sujendran remains out on bail of S$5,000.

For causing grievous hurt by a rash act, he could have been jailed up to four years in jail, or fined up to S$10,000, or both.