By Vir B. Lumicao
A Filipino driver was sentenced to 10 months
in jail on Feb 24 after pleading guilty to a charge of “causing death by
dangerous driving” in a traffic accident in Tai Po in May last year.
In addition, Ariel A.
Beltran, a 36-year-old father of two, won’t be allowed to drive in Hong Kong
for two years and must enroll in a driving school three months before his
release from prison.
He was sentenced a day
after pleading guilty to the charge before District Court Judge Amanda
Woodcock.
Beltran was driving his
employer’s car that hit a construction worker who was doing road works on a
section of an uphill road in Taipo on May 4.
The driver had just
fetched his employer’s six-year-old son from school and was headed home when
the accident happened.
He told investigators
he was driving at only 10 kilometers per hour because of his child passenger.
When he saw the road
works ahead he veered onto the opposite lane to avoid the construction. He said
he did not see anyone crossing the street and was surprised when he heard a
loud bang.
In his confusion,
Beltran said he stepped on the accelerator instead of the brakes, which was why
the car sped and came to stop only several meters away from the accident spot.
But a police report
said there were tire skid marks 5.4 meters long immediately before the impact
spot, indicating that the car was speeding and the driver had to step hard on
the brakes.
Other workers at the
site also told the police the victim was working on the edge of the road when
the car struck him. He was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The court heard Beltran
is married, has two children, and was earning $11,000 a month.
“The deceased died of
his injuries. The defendant will have to live with that for the rest of his
life,” Judge Woodcock said.
Beltran bowed his head
after hearing his sentence.
But his sister, Grace
Beltran, a domestic worker in Hong Kong who had faithfully attended the
hearings since July last year, flashed a smile, obviously relieved at the
outcome of the case.
