Fatal accident Uber driver jailed for 4 weeks

A 23-year-old Singaporean university student was jailed for four weeks and banned from driving for five years after pleading guilty to causing the death of a 31-year-old Filipino national. The victim was an Uber passenger in the defendant’s car at the time of a single-vehicle accident that took place last July.

The accused Muhammad Khalis Muhammad Rizauddin, an undergraduate student majoring in mechanical engineering at Nanyang Technological University, was working as part-time Uber driver. He lost control of his vehicle and crashed, causing the death of the Filipino business traveler Batocabe Jan Wendell Castilla, the Shin Min Daily News reported.

Early on the morning of Sunday, July 9th, after he had been driving continuously for five hours, the defendant picked up the victim at Changi Business Park. The victim was on his way to a church on Chapel Road for a Sunday morning service.

Because of rain, driving conditions were slippery, and the vehicle skidded and careered into a tree while Rizauddin was allegedly travelling slightly above the speed limit.

As a result, the victim suffered from severe head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

The defendant told the court through his defense lawyer that he was remorseful over the death of his passenger and had apologized to the deceased’s family.

Rizauddin, who is currently on an internship, will begin his jail sentence for causing death by a negligent act from December 3. He was also disqualified from driving for five years.