A MOTORIST whose car collided with a motorcycle and caused the death of the pizza delivery boy riding it was yesterday fined $8,000 and banned from driving for four years.

Madivanan Kuppusamy, an army driving instructor, admitted to causing the death of Muhammad Zaid Abdul Razak on Jan 7 this year.

The 18-year-old was on his first day of work with Canadian Pizza when the accident happened, the court heard.

He was riding along the extreme right lane of Yio Chu Kang Road towards an intersection at Yio Chu Kang Link.

Madivanan, a 30-year veteran of the Singapore Armed Forces, was driving his own car in the opposite direction when he turned right onto the main road, directly into Zaid's path.

The teenager's bike ran into the front of Madivanan's car and he fell off his two-wheeler.

He died of multiple injuries about an hour later in a hospital.

Madivanan's lawyer, Mr Chung Ting Fai, said the 49-year-old could lose his pension over the court conviction.

Mr Chung said his client had kept a clean record, and the accident, which was due to an error of judgment, was an isolated incident.

He said Madivanan, a diabetic, deeply regretted the crash.

He was so distraught that after his foot was trampled upon in a temple, he left it untreated to punish himself. In the end, one of his toes had to be amputated.

Madivanan could have been jailed for up to two years and fined for causing death through a negligent act.

This was first published in The Straits Times on Sept 19, 2008.

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