A Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus driver was sentenced today to one year of rigorous imprisonment over the death of a pedestrian caused by driving an unroadworthy bus.
Kebethigollewa Magistrate Nimesha Patabendige imposed the sentence on R. Ranjith Rathnayake, a driver attached to the area SLTB depot, after convicting him on five charges under the Motor Traffic Act.
The 2017 accident in Padaviya claimed the life of P. Kumarasinghe Bandara. The court also imposed a Rs. 15,000 fine, with an additional three-month jail term if unpaid, and ordered the driver to pay Rs. 500,000 in compensation to the victim’s family or face another year in prison.
The driver’s license was suspended for one year. A vehicle inspector confirmed the bus was unfit for operation at the time of the crash. (Newswire)