Duo from senior centre fined after elderly wheelchair-bound man rolls off platform and dies
SINGAPORE: A healthcare assistant and a driver were careless with the old man they were handling as they loaded old patients from their senior care facility into the van to transport them home.
The man rolled off a system intended to pull him into the van because the wheelchair’s wheels were never locked. He passed away when his head hit the ground.
A court fined Moe Thadar, a 49-year-old health care assistant from Myanmar, and Kwa Kim Seng of 67 on Thursday ( Dec 7 ). Both men received S$ 10, 000 ( US$ 7, 500 ) fines.
They each admitted guilt to one count of a careless behave that did not amount to criminal homicide and resulted in the victim’s death.
According to the court, Moe and Kwa were employed by Active Global Home &, Community Care ( Singapore ), a business that offers services for the care of the elderly.
Kwa had been employed by the company for 10 and a half times when the affair occurred, while Moe had only been there for six years.
On February 3, 2021, at around 4.40 p.m., the couple was loading old patients into the vehicle at the top care center’s pick-up location near Block 31A, Ghim Moh Link, in order to transport them house.
The next person to get loaded into the vehicle was the victim, a 76-year-old Hassan Mohamed Karchi Arshi Osman.
Mr. Hassan was wheeled onto the platform of a lift by Moe, which was used to insert wheelchair-bound people into the vehicle.
A medical assistant is in charge of locking both wheelchair wheels for the client before the raise is activated in accordance with Active Global’s standard operating procedures ( SOP), which both offenders had been taught.
As the program is raised, the driver, who turns on the lift, is in charge of making sure the client is safe.
This entails making sure the wheelchair’s wheels are locked before raising the program and holding it there to prevent it from rolling again.
Just after a unique medical assistant stationed inside the van seizes control of the chair and pulls it into the vehicle is the driver supposed to release his hold on it.
On that particular moment, Moe walked away from Mr. Hassan without applying the wheelchair’s pedals.
She told Kwa,” Uncle, carry,” as she walked ahead. Kwa took this as a sign that the victim was prepared to be lifted and that he should hang onto the chair.
Kwa even failed to make sure the brakes were engaged. He raised the platform while keeping a free hold on the chair of the victim.
While raising the program and talking to a coworker, he turned his back on the sufferer.
Kwa released his hold on the chair as the system drew closer to the top of the lift in line with the van, then he waited for the medical assistant inside the vehicle to do the same.
Forward rolling, the scooter slid off the program. The defendant’s head hit the ground on the up.
Incapacitated and bleeding from the back of his head, he was taken to the hospital. Later that evening, he was declared dead, with a brain injury being listed as the cause of death.
He was often in relatively good health, the prosecutor claimed, aside from the injury.
INVESTIGATIONS
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin, investigations revealed that Active Global staff constantly disregarded the SOP.
A roll-stop, or zipper that would be raised at the back of the system to halt a chair from rolling up, was also included in the lift.
Nevertheless, the roll-stop was not in use at the time of the incident, so Active Global did not need to use it in its SOP.
The SOP even recommended using the lift improperly. Correct use would necessitate that clients become loaded downward rather than the other way around, and the roll-stop would need to be fully functional.
The wheelchair would n’t have fallen off the platform if only one wheel had been locked, according to tests conducted by the Health Sciences Authority.
Given that this event involved “momentary negligence,” Mr. Bin requested a maximum fine of S$ 10,000 for both criminals, stating that the non-jail word would be sufficient.
Nevertheless, he claimed that the victim’s family had entrusted Active Global with taking care of him in order for him to “age gently, spending his time socializing with friends in a safe environment where his requirements were cared for.”
According to Mr. Bin,” His dreadful death was completely preventable and was considerably contributed to by the carelessness of both accused persons—carelessness from the very people in charge of his safety.”
MITIGATION
Mr. Vinit Chhabra, Kwa’s attorney, stated that his client was incredibly saddened and sad for the victim.
Kwa had moved to Active Global to operate because he felt the need to make a significant contribution to elder care at that point in his life.
Kwa actually finished his shift on the day in question, but he assisted in filling in for another driver who was n’t present.
According to Mr. Chhabra, he had not driven the aforementioned de as frequently as his regular van and was unfamiliar with it.
Mr. Gogulakannan Suppayya, Moe’s attorney, claimed that his customer had placed the prey on the program before turning him over to Kwa.
The chair did not tip over until the chair ramp reached the top, which was beyond my employer’s command at that point.
Moe” really loves her work” and has “upgraded herself in so many methods to become a better medical employee,” the attorney claimed, arguing that she should be fined less.
She fears that she wo n’t even be able to renew her work permit in Singapore because of this conviction, according to Mr. Gogulakannan.  ,
The judge concurred with the trial that the neglect was only temporary, negating the need for a jail sentence.
An perpetrator may receive up to two years in prison, a fine, or both for causing the death of someone through careless act that does not qualify as criminal homicide.
