AYE accident: Driver charged as family, friends mourn victim’s death
Family and friends of Jackie Liong, the victim in the AYE accident, at the mortuary at Outram Road on Tuesday. Liong is remembered by colleagues as a ‘very pleasant guy’ and a keen actor. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY
SINGAPORE — A 53-year-old driver who was involved in a fatal accident on the Ayer Rajah Expressway on Monday morning (Dec 19) was charged on Tuesday with causing death by reckless or dangerous driving, said the police.
Lim Chai Heng was charged in the late afternoon at the National University Hospital, where he had been warded for his injuries.
TODAY understands that the self-employed man, who faces up to five years in jail if found guilty, will be transferred to the Institute of Mental Health in the next few days.
Lim, who was driving a silver Mercedes car at high speed against traffic flow during morning rush-hour, had crashed into several other vehicles.
The collision resulted in the death of media personality Liong Kuo Hwa, 37, and seriously injured Lim and three others.
Early on Tuesday, eight family members and friends, including Mr Liong’s parents, collected his body from the mortuary@HSA at Outram Road. His parents appeared sombre but calm.
Monday’s trail of destruction also left four cars, one motorcycle and one private bus wrecked, and the wall of the expressway before the Tuas West Road exit severely damaged.
Eye-witnesses said Lim looked dazed after the incident and was seen muttering to himself.
Former colleagues remember Mr Liong as a jovial person who always gave his best in the roles he was cast in.
Actor Keagan Kang, 40, who acted with Mr Liong in various shows, including the Channel 5 drama Code of Law, remembers him as a “very pleasant guy”, a keen actor, and well-liked by his peers.
Mr Liong was also a regular at gatherings of industry practitioners at The Papa Shop, a bar in Lavender which Mr Kang used to co-own.
“(He) had an extremely infectious smile, and (was) very lovable and friendly,” said Mr Kang.
Producer Kevin Nguyen, from production house Shooting Gallery Asia, said he was shocked to hear about Mr Liong’s death.
The 32-year-old recalled how Mr Liong was asked to eat 37 spoonfuls of rice for a KFC commercial in 2013, the first 10 to 12 of which he swallowed without chewing.
“He believed that as long as we’ve a good take and everyone’s happy, then … he’s happy,” said Mr Nguyen. “He was a very hardworking person.”
Producer Peter Tan, 33, who had worked with Mr Liong on a fast-food commercial several years ago, described him as a cooperative actor who knew how to put himself in the producers’ shoes.
“He’s very easygoing in taking directions,” said Mr Tan, now video-production firm Big 3 Media’s operations manager and lead producer. “He’s talented … it’s a loss to the industry.”
Former Upside Down Concepts producer Charlyn Ng, 27, who had worked with Mr Liong on a 2012 Housing and Development Board commercial, said he had a “bubbly personality”.
“(Liong) was really patient with the children ... on the set. He never complained even when we were overrunning (in time),” said Ms Ng, now an mm2 Entertainment producer.
Mr Liong’s personal website lists his TV and film gigs from 2008 to this year, but the number of such projects appears to have dwindled in recent years.
His LinkedIn profile identifies him as a program manager at IBM’s Information Technology and Services department.
Mr Liong will be cremated on Friday at Mandai Crematorium.
