Speeding driver lost control of Mercedes before crashing into Gojek driver's car, killing him
Jeremiah Ng En You lost control of the car and crashed through a centre divider along Tampines Avenue 10, before colliding into several vehicles that were waiting at a red light.
Screengrab from a video showing the scene of the crash in Tampines. (Video: Facebook/ROADS.sg)
SINGAPORE: After having dinner and drinks at his office, a man sped at more than double the 60kmh limit on a road in Tampines before losing control of a Mercedes car.
He crashed through the centre divider and into the driver's side of another car, killing its 59-year-old Gojek driver who had stopped at a red light with other vehicles.
The crash led to further collisions which left five others injured. A traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures were among the serious injuries suffered by victims.
Jeremiah Ng En You, 35, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (May 30) to his role in the fatal accident.
He admitted guilty to one charge of dangerous driving causing death and one charge of drink driving. Another three charges will be considered in sentencing.
EVENTS THAT NIGHT
The court heard that Ng had drunk four cans of beer while having dinner with his brother and friends in his Tampines office.
At about 11pm on Dec 23, 2021, Ng drove a red Mercedes car with his brother, also 35, in the front passenger seat.
His brother had given him permission to drive, and the intended journey home was about 10km, court documents stated.
Ng was driving along Tampines Avenue 1, where the speed limit was 60kmh, at a speed of between 157kmh and 169kmh.
As he approached the junction at Tampines Avenue 10, he reduced his speed to between 146kmh and 156kmh, before slowing further to a speed between 122kmh and 130kmh.
As Ng was about to turn left from Tampines Avenue 1 onto Tampines Avenue 10, he lost control of the car, which was going at a speed between 92kmh and 108kmh.
He was unable to execute the left turn and instead went straight ahead, smashing through the centre divider along Tampines Avenue 10.
The front of the Mercedes car collided directly with the right side of the private-hire driver's car, which had stopped at the red light in the first lane.
The impact pushed the victim's car backwards and to the left, resulting in a collision with two other cars. One of the cars was ferrying a family with two children aged six and nine.
A 25-year-old motorcyclist who was passing between the private-hire driver's car and the car belonging to the family was crushed between the two vehicles on impact.
The family's car then collided with a taxi.
The impact of the collision cracked and crumpled the front bumper of Ng's car, punctured all four tyres and twisted two wheel rims.
The crash crumpled the bonnet and top portion of the Gojek driver's car, ripped off its front bumper and smashed both windscreens.
The other vehicles were also damaged in the accident, with the bills running into the thousands - the family's car cost almost S$19,000 (US$14,036) to repair, while the Gojek driver's car was scrapped as it was too damaged to be fixed.
The Gojek driver, Mr Kenn Wong Mun Soon, was on the job when his car was hit. He suffered a fatal traumatic rupture of the descending thoracic aorta, the main artery in the body, and died in hospital after resuscitation efforts failed.
The other five victims, including two passengers in the Gojek car, suffered injuries ranging from lacerations, embedded glass, retrograde amnesia, fractures and a traumatic brain injury.
The two children were not injured.
The motorcyclist who was crushed between two vehicles is likely to experience stiffness in his knee and ankle, and decreased endurance in strenuous lower limb activities.
His motorcycle, which was valued at S$6,500, was also scrapped as it could not be repaired.
Ng failed a breathalyser test administered at the scene and was arrested and taken back to Traffic Police Headquarters, where he failed another breath test. He had 42 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the limit of 35 microgrammes.
Ng will return to court for mitigation and sentencing in July. He is represented by lawyers Shashi Nathan and Jeremy Mark Pereira from Withers KhattarWong.
For dangerous driving causing death, he can be jailed between two and eight years as a first-time offender. He can also be banned from driving for 10 years.
The penalties for drink driving for a first-time offender are a jail term of up to 12 months, a fine of between S$2,000 and S$10,000, or both. They can also be banned from driving for two years.
Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to two years and fined between S$5,000 and S$20,000. They face a driving ban of five years.
