Man charged over Lucky Plaza car crash that killed two maids
A 64-year-old man was charged yesterday over the Lucky Plaza crash that killed two domestic helpers last December.
Malaysian Chong Kim Hoe, whose car allegedly ploughed into six Filipino women, is now facing three dangerous driving charges.
Two of the women were killed, three suffered grievous hurt, and a sixth had injuries from the incident.
Chong, a Singapore permanent resident, is said to have engaged the accelerator as he was making a U-turn while driving along Nutmeg Road behind the Orchard Road shopping mall at around 5pm on Dec 29 last year.
He allegedly drove onto a nearby footway, through a guard rail and onto a Lucky Plaza service road, hitting the six women.
Two of them, Ms Abigail Danao Leste, 41, and Ms Arlyn Picar Nucos, 50, died.
Ms Arceli Picar Nucos, 56, as well as Ms Egnal Layugan Limbauan and Ms Laila Flores Laudencia, both 44, were grievously hurt.
Ms Demet Limbauan Limbauan, 37, was also injured.
Details about the women's injuries were not revealed in court documents.
Ms Arlyn Picar Nucos was Ms Arceli Picar Nucos' sister.
DONATIONS
Following the crash, more than $360,000 was raised in an online fund-raiser that closed on Jan 6.
The Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE), together with the Domestic Employees Welfare Fund, collected the sum from nearly 3,000 donors in about a week, according to figures on fund-raising website Giving.sg
All proceeds in the fund-raising campaign - which started on Dec 30 last year - were to go directly towards helping the four injured maids and the dependants of the two dead women.
Chong's bail was set at $15,000 yesterday, and his pre-trial conference will be held on Sept 25. - SHAFFIQ ALKHATIB
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