39-year-old Malaysian SBS Transit bus driver Mah Jin Heng, pleaded guilty on 6 December to one count of negligent act endangering human life.
He was fined $2,500 and banned for a year from driving.
He had failed to keep a proper lookout and collided with another bus, with the driver of the second bus losing control of his vehicle and stepping on the accelerator, resulting in a collision with a third bus.
A passenger from the second bus and another passenger from the third bus were injured.
What happened?
The incident happened on 27 November last year at about 10.05 pm, Mah was reversing his bus (service number 88) out of the berth at Pasir Ris Bus Interchange.
At the same time, bus 17 was driving behind bus 88 perpendicularly, and from Mah’s point of view, he saw bus 17 approaching his bus from behind on the left.
The third bus (bus 5) was not moving and stationary on the right side of Mah’s bus 88 and waiting for him to finish reversing.
Mah checked his rear but didn’t notice any vehicle on his left before reversing, as he focused on the right side of his bus, failing to keep a proper lookout for oncoming vehicles on his left.
Bus 17 thought that 88 would stop because bus 17 had the right of way, and proceeded to drive up behind bus 88, but Mah didn’t notice bus 17 on his left and collided with it.
Bus 17 then lost control and the driver then stepped on the accelerator, driving forward and colliding with bus 5 from behind.
A 57-year-old woman on bus 17, who was seated on the lower deck, fell onto the floor when the bus collided with bus 5.
The window beside her seat shattered and some pieces of the class were stuck inside her feet, and she later sought medical attention from a private clinic.
Another 22-year-old man from bus 5, who was standing on the upper deck, fell down during the crash and injured his back and wrist.