E-Scooter Who Knocked Down Woman Ordered to Pay $445K in Damages But He Refused

By
Boon Hun
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If you’ve forgotten why the Government did a “no-warning” ban of Personal Mobility Devices (PMD), here’s why: they are dangerous.

How dangerous?

Dangerous enough to rack up $445,000 in damages and losses to the victim’s family.

The Incident

On 17 Sep 2016, Nicholas Ting Nai Jie was riding his e-scooter with his girlfriend as a pillion rider when he collided with Mdm Ang Liu Kiow near a bus stop along Pasir Ris Drive 1.

An article back in 2018 said that his speed was around 14 to 15kmph and pointed out that he did not sound his horn to alert pedestrians and commuters of his approach.

Mdm Ang then stepped onto the footpath from the bus stop and Ting could not stop in time.

His girlfriend managed to jump off the e-scooter when the collision happened.

Mdm Ang fell and hit her head onto the ground, and she vomitted “yellowish liquid”.

Ting had called the police for help and Mdm Ang was brought to the Changi General Hospital (CGH) where she had to undergo emergency surgery and went into a coma.

When she woke up a month later, she was discharged but still needed physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

She also has language impairment and poor working memory and her disabilities are judged to be permanent.

E-Scooter Who Knocked Down Woman Ordered to Pay $445K in Damages But He Refused

Ting was given a 14-day detention order that he served in prison and had to do 100 hours worth of community service within 12 months back in 2018.

You would’ve thought that’ll be the end of the matter but the fact remains, even after he is punished, Madam Ang would still suffer permanent disabilities and the family is still going through the aftermath of an accident that she didn’t deserve.

In 2019, Madam Ang’s husband, Mr Leong Loon Wah, sued Ting on a behalf.

He is seeking compensation for the damages and losses she has suffered as a result of the unfortunate accident.

Wait, that means Ting is hauled to court twice?

Yes, and if this is confusing, just think of it this way: the 2018 court hearing is a punishment sought by the Government’s lawyers (i.e. the Attorney-General’s Chambers), so it was a criminal case.

This case by Mdm Ang’s husband is a civil case, and it’s sought by him as an individual.

He said that Ting had:

  • Failed to keep a proper lookout for pedestrians
  • Rode at an unsafe speed
  • Failed to slow down or sound his horn when approaching the bus stop
  • Ignored that his e-scooter was not supposed to carry a passenger

Ting’s defence was that Madam Ang has contributed or caused the accident as well.

She had:

  • failed to keep a proper lookout for his e-scooter
  • failed to heed his “loud oral warning” to keep away
  • recklessly dashed out without ensuring it was safe to do so

Unfortunately, his defence failed and he was ordered to pay $445,748.81 to Madam Ang, as well as $25,000 for court proceedings.

On 25 July 2020, Mr Benedict Teo, the lawyer acting on behalf of Mr Leong and Madam Ang on a pro-bono basis, told reporters that Ting has refused to pay the judgement sum through his lawyer.

Ting’s lawyer, Mr S. Selvaraj, said his client, a full-time National Serviceman, was unable to pay.

So, What’s Next?

As per SOP, the next thing to do (for the courts) would be to question Ting in court.

They will determine the state of his assets and decide whether to proceed with bankruptcy proceedings.

As for why Mr Leong suddenly sued Ting again, he claims that it’s a “last-resort” measure.

Ting and his family allegedly refused to pay more than the sum of $2,470.65 that was ordered by the courts previously.

Earning only $2,000 to $3,000 a month, Mr Leong says his wife’s medical fees were “substantial” even with government subsidies.

He has three children aged 20 to 30.

The Main Takeaway

Whether Ting will be made to pay the amount, or the Ang family continues to struggle from day to day, is a matter for the courts.

But there’s still a takeaway from this case:

No matter how young you are, or how cool you thought you were being, it could result in an accident that might just destroy a loving family.

So while you can love having fun as a youth, don’t let it become a hindrance or pain to society.

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Boon Hun
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