Indian bus driver jailed in Singapore for running over passenger’s leg

A 45-year-old Indian-Malaysian man was sentenced to three weeks in jail on Friday over a bus accident in Singapore.

The incident occurred when bus driver Gunaselan R Subramaniam ran over the leg of a passenger while getting off the bus.

The victim, Tuminah Sapie, 74, suffered serious injuries that resulted in both of her limbs being amputated above the knees.

Subramaniam was convicted of causing grievous hurt to Sapie on March 8 and was disqualified from holding or obtaining any driving license for two years after his release.

In addition, he was banned from driving any vehicle in Singapore for the same period.

The incident occurred on June 24, 2019, at the departure hall of Singapore’s Woodlands Checkpoint.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan told the court that Subramaniam did not carry out the necessary safety checks before driving because he was reportedly on the phone at the time.

Sarpi, the last passenger to get out of the car, told District Judge Cheng Yuxi that she was standing on the steps near the rear exit of the car when she felt the car moving.

She testified that she lost control of her body when the bus suddenly moved and she fell off it.

“As she fell to the ground, she felt her leg being run over by the bus,” the deputy prosecutor said.

She was rushed to hospital.

Her limbs were severely mutilated, with multiple fractures, and “degloving” injuries to her groin area and left lower limb, which required amputation of both legs above the knee.

Subramaniam admitted in an earlier lawsuit that he felt the bus going over the hump after he closed the door and drove a short distance away.

Prosecutors stressed that Subramaniam failed to meet the required standard of care by ignoring necessary safety checks before driving.