61-year-old woman dies after being hit by taxi in Ang Mo Kio, allegedly dragged for 20m

SINGAPORE — A woman was killed after she was hit by a taxi and allegedly dragged along the road for about 20m on Monday evening (June 20).

The police were alerted to the incident in Ang Mo Kio Street 21 at around 10.25pm.

The 61-year-old woman, whom the police said was a pedestrian, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 53-year-old driver of a TransCab taxi was arrested for careless driving causing death. Investigations are ongoing.

Chinese evening daily Shin Min Daily News reported that the woman had been dragged for about 20m.

A pool of blood believed to have been close to the point of impact was about 20m away from the police blue tent covering the body on Monday night.

The cab is believed to have collided with the woman, travelling a distance before making a U-turn when the cabby realised that he had hit someone.

He was reportedly spotted in distress at the scene and his family members had to be called down to calm him.

According to Traffic Police statistics released in February, more people were killed or injured in road accidents last year.

This was partially due to Singapore moving towards living with Covid-19 and more activities resuming.

A total of 107 people died on the roads in 2021, as compared to 83 in 2020.

But the Traffic Police had stressed that this was still lower than the 118 who died on the roads in 2019.

Fifteen elderly pedestrians had died each year in 2021 and 2020.

Jaywalking was the main reason for the fatalities, accounting for about half of the deaths.

Under the Road Traffic Act, those convicted of causing death by driving without due care may be jailed for up to three years and fined up to $10,000.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.