Crash hurts granny, but cabby wants fare

The two women, Ms Begum and Madam Beevi, 68, along with Ms Begum's husband had earlier flagged down the taxi near their home in Tampines at around 11.40am for Mustafa Shopping Centre on Jan 9 when the accident happened.

About 20 minutes later, the taxi collided with another taxi along Jalan Besar, near Foch Road.

The impact, which left large dents on the taxi, threw Madam Beevi forward between the driver's seat and the front passenger's seat.

It left her with injuries on her left knee and under her left ribcage.

Instead of offering to take them to a clinic, their driver continued on his journey after speaking to the other cabby.

Ms Begum said that she told the driver clearly that her grandmother was injured but he did not seem to listen to them.

The accident was not the only shock the family experienced. The cabby demanded that Madam Beevi pay the $13 fare when he dropped them off outside Mustafa Shopping Centre.

A casual "Sorry, ah" was all they got out of him as he hurriedly picked up other passengers after dropping them off, said Ms Begum.

The two taxis involved in the accident belonged to ComfortDelGro.

Ms Tammy Tan, group corporate communications officer at ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited, confirmed the accident.

"We have apologised to Ms Begum for the distress that has been caused - both by the incident that happened while she and her family were in our cab, and the follow-up with our insurers," she said.

"In the case of an accident, drivers should offer help to passengers including sending them to the nearest hospital and arranging for a replacement taxi. Drivers who do not render assistance will be disciplined."

ComfortDelGro confirmed that it had taken action against the taxi driver for his conduct.

Ms Tan added that the company has offered to settle her grandmother's medical claims, which amounted to $500, which the family has accepted.

What you should do in an accident involving taxis

Step 1: Take down the vehicle registration number of taxi, the name of the driver and the name of his insurance company

Step 2: Ensure that drivers are given your names and contact numbers so that the company can take follow-up action

Step 3: Take photographs of the scene using a camera or a mobile phone

Step 4: Report the accident to the police and obtain a copy of the report for record

Step 5: Contact the taxi customer service centre with details of the date, time, location of the accident as well as the taxi number

Step 6: Contact the insurance company within 24 hours to make a claim.

Information from Ms Tammy Tan, ComfortDelGro's group corporate communications officer, and from Aviva website.

ORIGINAL SOURCE