You often hear advice columns and people on social media say: if you focus too much on what’s behind you, you’ll fail to notice what’s in front of you.
However, this saying applies to driving too, for one moment of negligence could very well cause an irreversible mistake and result in a tragedy.
That’s what this former lecturer learnt, hopefully.
Pedestrian Killed After Being Knocked Down Due To Negligence
73-year-old former lecturer Su Yashun failed to notice someone walking on the zebra crossing right in front of his car and accidentally knocked him down.
Originally, he had not pleaded guilty, to which a trial was scheduled to be held yesterday on 21 July, but Su changed his mind.
Last year, on 23 February, Su was driving along the fork road between Serangoon Ave 2 and Upper Serangoon Road at about 8:11pm.
As he drove towards the zebra crossing, he checked his rear-view mirror, while failing to notice that there was someone in front of him.
Zhan Xikang, 72, was already halfway through crossing the zebra crossing as Su’s car approached.
Su did not notice that Zhan was in front of him at all, which resulted in him hitting Zhan to the ground, where he lay motionless.
According to the black box footage acquired from Su’s car, he was not speeding but travelled at a normal speed.
Zhan could be seen walking towards the center of the zebra crossing as Su’s car got closer, and seemed to be very fearful when he saw the car approaching.
He was holding his hands up with his eyes wide open before the car made an impact and knocked him down.
After the accident, Zhan was rushed to the intensive care unit in Tan Tock Seng Hospital after sustaining severe injuries to his head, including a fracture and brain hematoma.
Unfortunately, he slipped into a coma and passed away a week later on 1 March due to the head injuries sustained from the accident, the autopsy found.
No Problems Detected
No other excusable conditions were found after investigations, which showed that the weather had been normal, the road had been dry, and traffic flow was slow with clear visibility.
They also did not find any problems with the mechanics of Su’s car, which were all assessed to be of fine condition prior to and during the accident.
Despite Su saying that he was not tired or feeling sick during the time of the accident, he brought up the fact that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Since his diagnosis in 2009 or 2010, he had been taking medicine until 2015 to 2016 where his condition had stabilised.
Su had also undergone a medical examination not long before the accident in order to renew his driver’s license.
In a letter of apology, Su also mentioned that he had congenital visual impairment, to which his lawyer claimed that while it did not affect normal driving, it may have been a contributing factor to the accident.
Additionally, he said that he had always been sensitive about maintaining traffic safety as his mother had passed away due to a traffic accident.
This was shut down by the judge, who questioned why Su failed to slow down before reaching the zebra crossing if he was this careful.
In response, his lawyer said that Su was only paying attention to the cars behind him and failed to notice the blind spot in front of him.
Su also expressed his remorse in a letter written to the deceased’s family.
He Had Taught For 40 Years
What have we learnt the past few years involving various cases of people with respectable professions or “promising futures” committing crimes?
It’s that all these shouldn’t really be used to judge whether someone deserves more severe prosecution or not in the face of the law anyway, for a crime is still a crime.
Su’s lawyer brought up the fact that he had been a lecturer for the past 40 years and lived a life of virtue while contributing to society.
The lawyer also added that the incident brought about harm to Su as well, who had since sold off his car and swore never to drive again.
Considering his old age as well, the lawyer sought the prosecution to fine him instead.
Su was charged with one count of causing death by negligent driving, which holds a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both.
Always remember to remain alert to all your surroundings when you’re driving as much as possible, yeah?
On the other hand, if you just learned how to drive, here are some tips you should learn:
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Featured Image: Lukas Gojda/ shutterstock.com
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