The driver of a car, which was involved in an accident with a bus, was sentenced to two weeks of jail term on Friday after she pleaded guilty on March 14 to causing the death of 23-year-old Jasmine Lim Jia Yan by negligent driving and was also disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for four years.
During the sentencing, the District Judge Kessler Soh said that it was an unfortunate and tragic accident. But, the judge mentioned that the accused Honami Lam Qixin, 25, had a clean record prior to the tragedy.
The night of the accident at Bukit Timah:
The accident took place at the junction of Jalan Anak Bukit and Jurong Kechil road, involving a black Mercedes and an SMRT bus.
The convict and her boyfriend 26-year-old Jake Lau Zhi Wei went to Pine Grove near Ulu Pandan Road on April 21, 2018, to celebrate the birthday of Lim's boyfriend. After the party got over Lam offered the deceased woman a ride.
Lam, who was driving the car, stopped the vehicles in the second lane of the three-lane road at the junction. As per Deputy Public Prosecutor Wu Yu Jie, Lam's intention was to turn right towards the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) heading to Changi. But when the traffic signal turns green the Mercedes moved straight ahead and the accused started moving before the right-turn green arrow appeared.
As per the court documents, the convict did not stop the vehicle in the turning pocket, instead she made the right turn towards the PIE immediately.
DPP Wu told the court that Lam took the move so "negligently, failing to keep a proper lookout and to give way to oncoming traffic while making a right turn when the traffic light in her direction was only showing green, without the green right-turn arrow."
The court also heard that the 43-year-old SMRT bus driver, Thanjavour Rajarm Prabhuram was driving the vehicle in the opposite direction of Jalan Anak Bukit towards Clementi Road. The judge noted that the speed of the bus was almost 59 kmh when the driver saw Lam's car turning into his way. Then the bus hit the left side of the car that caused injuries to Lim, who was sitting in the rear of the car, the woman driver and the male passenger.
When the police reached the accident location after receiving a call made by the convict. Lam and Lau were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital for treatment, while they took Lim to National University Hospital (NUH), where she died due to serious injuries.
The convict:
Lam was arrested last year and now she is out on bail of $10,000 to settle her personal matters. She is expected to surrender herself at the State Courts on Tuesday, April 2 to begin her sentence.
What law says?
As per Section 304A, whoever causes the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, shall be punished —
(a) in the case of a rash act, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both; or
(b) in the case of a negligent act, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
