School bus driver in hit and run accident

A school bus driver who knocked down a woman crossing the road allegedly retrieved a side mirror that had fallen off in the collision before driving away to refuel and pick up students, returning to the scene only after receiving a call from traffic police officers.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the accident occurred at about 6.55am on Feb 11, 2025, along a slip road leading from Cantonment Link into Cantonment Road.

The defendant, Zhang Hancheng (transliterated) was working as a school bus driver at the time. The 63-year-old faced three charges under the Road Traffic Act, including failing to stop and render assistance after an accident.

Court documents state that Zhang was driving a minibus along the slip road at about 6.55am that day and was on his way to refuel before picking up students.

As he was focused on traffic conditions on his left, he failed to notice a 65-year-old woman crossing the road, stopping only after hearing the sound of an impact from the vehicle’s right-side mirror.

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Zhang got out of the minibus and saw the woman lying on the ground, realising that he might have hit her. However, he proceeded to pick up the side mirror that had been knocked off and left the scene.

He then drove to a petrol station in the Keppel Road area to refuel. He then picked up a female bus attendant and continued with his planned route to ferry students to school.

It was only when the minibus was travelling along Pioneer Road in Tuas that he received a call from the Traffic Police and turned back to the scene of the accident to assist with investigations.

Driver pleads guilty

Zhang pleaded guilty on May 29, and sentencing has been adjourned to June 22.

Dashcam footage from a passing motorist, played in court, showed Zhang ignoring the injured woman, retrieving the detached side mirror, and briskly returning to his minibus before driving away.

The victim sustained severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, multiple skull fractures, and several broken ribs. She was also diagnosed with cognitive impairments, experiencing episodes of anxiety and irritable behaviour following the accident.

The woman was hospitalised for over a month and was discharged on April 11, 2025. She was subsequently placed on medical leave for a month.

Defence: Driver left in shock, not to evade responsibility

In mitigation, the defence argued that Zhang left the scene because he was shocked by the accident and was not attempting to avoid responsibility.

The lawyer also said Zhang had work obligations at the time and that a combination of factors led him to leave the scene.

Counsel stressed that Zhang had been driving for many years and had no history of serious traffic offences. Although the victim suffered serious injuries, her life was not in danger.

The lawyer added that Zhang was remorseful and regretted his actions, and had since stopped driving.

However, the prosecution argued that Zhang had fled the scene despite the victim sustaining serious injuries that required treatment from specialists across multiple medical disciplines.

Given the seriousness of the offences and the harm caused, the prosecution urged the court to sentence Zhang to seven months’ jail and disqualify him from holding all classes of driving licences for two years.