A 86-year-old man was given a four-month prison term on Wednesday ( Feb 12 ) for careless driving that left a construction worker permanently disabled.  ,
Gay Ee Wah, who was 84 when the injury occurred, will also be barred from driving for five years after being released from prison.  ,
He admitted guilt to one count of careless driving that caused severe harm to another person, with another related charge being taken into account for sentencing.
Gay and his wife and daughter were driving away from Serangoon Road on March 10, 2023, when he struck another car after a customers light turned green.
After the incident, Gay’s automobile sped away and swerved to the straight. Two construction workers were standing on the road next to a light post and an electronic box to carry out route works when it mounted a slope and struck a kerb.
Before striking the cap of a second car, one employee was flung into the air. Gay’s vehicle continued to move ahead, pinning the farmer’s leg underneath.  ,
The next employer struck a light blog after being struck by Gay’s vehicles. Additionally, the vehicle also slammed against the candle post before falling on the next car and a second car.  ,
According to his physician, the first international worker’s injuries are “likely long-lasting”. Despite having had numerous surgeries, he had limited range of motion in his left leg, as well as a loss of strength and anguish in his left leg and knee in his final health assessment months after the accident.  ,
Due to his wounds, the unusual employer is no longer employed in Singapore. His labor force was revoked about seven months after the accident, and he has since returned to India.
Gay has many past driving crimes, with the most current in 2019, when he failed to adhere to a reddish light transmission.
For Gay, Deputy Public Prosecutor Zhou Yang requested five years of driving ban, two weeks in jail, and seven to eight months in prison.  ,
Gay’s attorney, Michael Han of Han &, Lu Law Chambers, had asked for the utmost good or a small detention order for him, instead of a jail term given his advanced age and various health conditions.  ,
A short detention order, which serves as a deterrent by allowing the offender to experience prison life, is a form of community detention.
District Judge Kok Shu-en noted that based on the arguments made by his lawyer, she considered the effects the punishment would have on Gay.  ,
According to her,” the threshold that must be met is a high one when it comes to ill health,” adding that the defense must demonstrate that medical evidence indicates there is a possibility of significant deterioration or more pain.  ,
Gay has a number of medical conditions, but she did not believe the threshold for her sentence to be considered insufficient, according to Judge Kok.  ,
The courts consider whether a person’s sentence is disproportionately severe by spending the majority of their life in prison, she added, when determining a prison term in relation to a person’s age.  ,
While she agreed to” some moderation” of Gay’s sentence on this basis, his age does not justify the “very drastic reduction” that his lawyer sought.  ,
His sentence was slightly reduced as a result of his early guilty plea and his advanced age, according to Judge Kok.  ,
On Wednesday, six family members walked into the courtroom to cheer Gay as he slowly walked into the room with a walking stick. His son-in-law served as his bailor.  ,
The maximum sentence for driving a motor vehicle on a road without giving it due care and attention can be two years in jail, a fine of S$ 5, 000, or both.  ,