Police officer’s blind spot error causes crash, injuring woman with multiple fractures

SINGAPORE: Police officers are expected to assure drivers that road accidents can be minimised, but not this time around. An officer failed to check his blind spot while driving his patrol car and collided with a vehicle. As a result, a 54-year-old female passenger suffered multiple fractures.

Case details 

According to case papers, the 31-year-old suspect was on duty on the day of the incident. When he reached an intersection without traffic lights, he intended to move to the right lane and make a U-turn to return to the Geylang Neighborhood Police Station. 

Unfortunately, the suspect failed to check the blind spots and collided with a car traveling in the right lane. The other car was hit on the front left and the impact threw the elderly passenger seated on the back seat forward into the back of the front seat. The accident was recorded on the police car’s dash camera.

The victim was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. She suffered fractures to the right orbital floor and the bridge of her nose, and took 11 days of sick leave. The hospital bill accumulated to more than $7,000, and the victim will seek compensation through legal litigation.

The police officer pleaded guilty after being charged with not driving carefully and attentively. He was fined $5,000 and had his driver’s license suspended for five years.

Furthermore, the police officer did not hire a lawyer, stating that he understood the consequences of his actions.

In similar news related to road accidents, there was a report where a taxi driver did not yield to a lorry that had the right of way, and as a result, his female passenger was severely injured.

The 74-year-old driver pleaded guilty to one charge of careless driving and was sentenced to 17 days in jail. Moreover, his licence will also be suspended for five years at all levels.

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