Jail for motorist who drove at up to 215 kmh and caused fatal traffic accident involving 5 vehicles
A motorist who was travelling at speeds of up to 215 kmh along the Central Expressway (CTE) in July 2021, caused an accident with four other vehicles and a motorcyclist’s death.
On Monday, Ng Wen Xun, 35, who had failed to keep within the 80 kmh speed limit while she was driving a car, was sentenced to 30 months’ jail and disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for 10 years from her release date.
She had pleaded guilty to two charges under the Road Traffic Act.
Ng was speeding along the CTE towards Seletar Expressway at around 9.20pm on July 23, 2021, when she failed to maintain proper control of her vehicle, and it struck a centre guard railing before veering to the left.
Her vehicle then collided into a motorcycle, throwing its 31-year-old rider onto the road.
Following that, her car veered right and struck a second motorcycle, a lorry and another car.
The second motorcyclist, 28, was also flung onto the road, while the lorry toppled onto its right side, causing two of its Bangladeshi passengers to be flung from their rear passenger seats onto the road.
Ng’s car then hit the left side guard railing along the CTE, came to a halt and caught fire.
The authorities were alerted soon after, and the older motorcyclist was unconscious when an ambulance took him to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He died of multiple injuries later that evening.
Most of the other motorists were also taken to the same hospital, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Chin Jincheng.
One of the Bangladeshis, 26, suffered injuries, including a fracture to his left wrist, and was discharged with nine days of medical leave. The other Bangladeshi, 50, who was found with fractures to his spine, was hospitalised for nine days.
The younger motorcyclist survived the crash with injuries, including wounds to his hands. He was warded for one night and was discharged with five days of medical leave.
The DPP said that at the time of the accident, traffic volume was moderate, the road surface was dry, the weather was fine, visibility was fair, and the street lightings were in good working condition.
A report from the Health Sciences Authority later stated that just prior to the crash, Ng had been travelling at speeds of between 118 kmh and 215 kmh.
Her bail was set at $15,000 on Monday, and she is expected to surrender herself at the State Courts on June 12 to begin serving her sentence.
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