Food Delivery Rider Jailed for Injuring Woman with E-Scooter Even When PMD is Banned on Footpath

When PMDs were banned on footpaths last year, there was much displeasure amidst the public.

As much inconvenience as the ban might have caused however, it probably did prevent many accidents from happening.

That being said, there would always be some people who are just incapable of following the PMD ban and insist on becoming a danger to the public.

Grab Delivery Rider Rode PMD on Footpath and Injured a Woman 

On Monday (5 July), a Grab delivery rider was sentenced to seven weeks’ jail and fined $500 for riding his electric scooter on a footpath and injuring a woman after a collision with her.

The Grab delivery rider, 38-year-old Samuel Lim Yong Choon, pleaded guilty to one charge of causing grievous hurt by a rash act endangering personal safety, and another charge of riding a motorised personal mobility device (PMD) on a footpath.

Another third charge was considered during his sentencing.

The incident took place on 29 April last year, around 1.50pm in Sengkang, on a footpath along Rivervale Drive.

Lim had allegedly been riding the e-scooter on the footpath, when the 35-year-old victim walked down the staircase from Kangkar LRT station and stepped onto the same footpath.

According to the victim, she saw Lim riding his e-scooter along the path at a very fast speed. Failing to keep a proper lookout, Lim did not reduce his speed despite being on the footpath for pedestrians.

When he neared the victim and saw her, Lim allegedly tried to brake but flew forward instead. He collided with the woman, who fell to the ground and began crying, the court heard.

Rider Refused to Give NRIC and Tried to Flee

By then, a crowd had gathered around the victim and the accused. When the victim asked Lim for his NRIC, he refused to give it to her. Instead, he tried to leave at around 2pm on his device.

The accused was stopped from leaving by the victim and a member of the public, and eventually showed the victim his NRIC.

Lim admitted later that he did not want to give the victim his NRIC because he was scared that he would lose his job as a Grab delivery rider.

Lim then brought the victim to a nearby clinic with the help of a member of the public, and paid her $50 bill. The victim was then brought to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with fractures of her elbow and pelvis.

The victim was given 93 days of outpatient and hospitalisation leave. In total, the victim incurred $937.67 in hospital bills, which Lim repaid.

Victim Still Suffering from After-effects of Incident

In a statement given in January this year, the victim said that she has developed a fear of walking along pavements as there are still many bicycles and e-scooters around.

The victim, who is a hairstylist, also said that she felt “handicapped” at work as she could not carry out routine jobs like drying or cutting hair, and mixing hair dye.

She added that although her work required her to stand for long hours, the stiffness in her pelvic area made her unable to stand for too long. The victim, who has had to undergo six sessions of physiotherapy, said that she was told she would only be able to run and exercise in a year’s time.

Noting that the accused had tried to flee, the prosecutor had asked for seven weeks’ jail and a fine. However, she also acknowledged that Lim had pleaded guilty and made full restitution.

One who is charged with causing grievous hurt by a rash act can be sentenced up to four years’ jail, fined up to $10,000 or both.

One who is charged with riding a motorised PMD on a footpath can be sentenced up to three months’ jail, fined up to $2,000 or both.

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