Fatigued bus driver jailed for causing chain collision that left man with spinal injury
The driver was jailed for four weeks and banned from driving for five years.
A sleep-deprived public bus driver caused a chain collision along Bukit Batok Road, leaving a man seriously injured and unable to work for weeks.
Nurhaliza (transliterated), 27, was sentenced to four weeks' jail and disqualified from driving for five years after pleading guilty to two charges under the Public Transport Council Act, according to Shin Min Daily News.
One charge involved failing to pay attention to the road conditions ahead, resulting in her bus rear-ending a car, which then surged forward and hit another vehicle.
The accident happened along Bukit Batok Road leading to Bukit Batok West Avenue 2, at around 5.45pm on November 28, 2023,
Working split shifts
Court documents revealed that Nurhaliza had been working split shifts, driving from 6am to 10.30am, and again from 1.30pm to 8.30pm. At the time of the accident, she was on her afternoon shift and feeling fatigued.
As she drove in the third lane, the traffic in front of her had slowed for a red light. But she failed to notice the brake lights of the vehicle ahead and ploughed straight into it.
Dashcam footage from the bus showed the first car being pushed forward into a second car.
The driver of the first car sustained a spinal injury. He later experienced numbness and a burning sensation in the fingers of his right hand, and was unable to change his clothes without help.
He also had difficulty sleeping and was unable to carry out daily activities while recovering, and was given 47 days of medical leave. As of April 23, 2023, he was still experiencing occasional numbness in his right hand.
The prosecution noted that Nurhaliza was operating a heavy vehicle while fatigued and failed to react in time, calling for a harsh sentence.
She also admitted in court that she had felt drowsy at the time of the accident.