From otters to wild boars, Singapore has a wide variety of wild animals living amongst us.
However, they may sometimes cause accidents and, perhaps, court hearings.
Injured in Collision
On 21 September 2019, Mr Muhammad Aliff Mohd Jeferee hit a sambar deer along Upper Thomson Road at about 9:45pm. He was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital to treat his injuries, and was still conscious after the accident.
The deer’s injuries were not reported as it had retreated back to the woods after being hit.
So you think it’d have ended there as he would be claiming from his own insurance, eh?
No.
Lawsuit against LTA and NParks
Mr Aliff decided to sue the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and NParks for negligence, and the lawsuit was brought up in the State Courts yesterday (30 November)
In a twist in events, not only did LTA and NParks deny all claims in the court papers, they also argued that Mr Aliff can only blame himself for the accident. Mr Aliff alleges that the deer had dashed across the road, and he had sustained head, shoulder and leg injuries due to the accident.
In the court papers filed, it pointed out that LTA is the statuary board in charge of maintaining the land transport system while NParks has the duty to manage the wildlife and animals. Mr Aliff’s lawyer also argued in the court papers that LTA has a duty in ensuring that these animals do not intrude these roads to endanger drivers.
In addition to that, he also alleged that LTA and NParks failed to do their part in ensuring the safety of drivers from wild animals on the road.
In their defence, LTA said that their duties cannot reasonably extend to controlling the movements of wild animals and diverting them away from roads. There was also an “Animals Ahead” sign right before the site of the accident.
Meanwhile, NParks said that their duties did not include managing animals and wildlife in Singapore. Instead, they manage the animal population, including taking measures to prevent risks to the public. Periodic surveys did by NParks also revealed that the number of sambar deers in the Upper Thompson area was reasonable.
Wildlife Accidents
Sambar deers and other animals have been in a few accidents in Singapore over the years.
In March 2019, a sambar deer collided with another motorcyclist along Upper Thompson Road. While the condition of this motorcyclist is unknown, the deer appeared fine and got up after being hit. In fact, it even stood still on the road after.
In June 2018, a sambar deer had wandered onto an expressway which caused an accident between a motorcycle, taxi and car. The taxi driver was taken to a hospital for cuts on his head. Unfortunately, the deer was seriously injured and was unlikely to survive the incident. It was later euthanised.
Featured Image: Logan Bush / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)
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