Man jailed for killing Indian-origin doctor in UK road accident

A man who killed an Indian-origin doctor in a road accident in 2017 has been jailed after he pleaded guilty to careless driving.

Jasjot Singhota was killed in a road traffic collision in January 2017 after Alexander Fitzgerald failed to clear frost from his car windscreen.

He was sentenced at the Kingston Crown Court to 10 months imprisonment for causing death by careless driving, reduced from 16 months, and four and a half months for causing death by driving uninsured.

Singhota, 30, a doctor working for the Guys and St Thomas National Health Service Trust, died due to traumatic brain injury following the accident.

“Although this will not bring Jasjot back, the sentencing today provides closure allowing us to focus on our sister, her life and all that she achieved,” Singhota’s sister Neha said in a statement cited by the Hindustan Times.

“This sentence shows how important it is to clear your windscreen before driving off in the morning, especially during the cold weather. This is a simple action that takes no time at all but can prevent any other family from having to go through what we have.”

Detective constable Sejal Unadkat, who led the investigation, said had Fitzgerald taken proper precautions Singhota wouldn’t have lost her life. “This is an incident that could have been avoided entirely if only Fitzgerald had taken the proper precautions in ensuring his visibility was not impaired by the frost on his windscreen.

“He didn’t, and as a result, Singhota's family, and indeed society, has been robbed of a much-loved and talented individual who worked as a doctor to improve the lives of others.”

“Through being an organ donor Singhota has saved the lives of five other people since her death; a fact that both comforts her family in their grief, and fills them with immeasurable pride at what a selfless and kind person she truly was,” Unadkat added.