Mercedes driver in Tampines crash faces 5 charges, including dangerous driving causing death
The driver of a Mercedes-Benz that crashed into four cars and a motorcyclist, killing one of the drivers, has been charged. The pre-trial conference will take place on Jan 20.
Mr Jeremiah Ng En You, 34, faces five charges involving seven victims, under the Road Traffic Act.
Ng has been charged with drink driving and dangerous driving, which caused the death of Mr Kenn Wong Mun Soon, 59.
He is also charged with dangerous driving causing hurt to four others, and dangerous driving causing grievous hurt to a motorcyclist. He faces a fifth charge of dangerous driving, which resulted in a collision with a car.
The victim was not named in the fifth charge.
Ng was charged in October 2022 and is out on bail of $15,000.
The accident took place at about 11.15pm on Dec 23, 2021, at the traffic junction of Tampines Avenue 10 and Tampines Avenue 1.
Ng allegedly drove his Mercedes-Benz A180 dangerously at an estimated speed of about 92kmh along a stretch of road with a speed limit of 60kmh before ramming into Mr Wong’s car, which was stationary in the extreme right lane of the four-lane Tampines Avenue 10.
The collision resulted in Mr Wong’s car being pushed against a taxi, a motorcycle and another vehicle. The drivers of both the taxi and car were hurt in the collision.
The taxi was driven by Mr Kamsani Tarseelim, a 41-year-old Indonesian, and the driver of the car was 39-year-old Truong Manh Quang from Vietnam.
Mr Sim Hong Wee, 24, and Mr Darren Ng Zi Yuan, 23, who were in the rear passenger seat of Mr Wong’s car, and motorcyclist Mahmud Azmani Fikri Mahmod Fuao, 24, were also hurt in the collision.
Ng was allegedly found to have at least 42 micrograms (mcg) of alcohol in 100ml of breath, which is over the prescribed limit of 35mcg, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, Mr Wong’s sister Rachel Wong and two others have filed separate lawsuits seeking to claim more than $290,000 from Ng.
Ms Wong is suing as the administrator of Mr Wong’s estate and on behalf of his dependants, including his 27-year-old Vietnamese wife and 85-year-old mother.
In her statement of claim filed in a district court in September 2022, Ms Wong said her brother was an artist who gave private art lessons, and was also a private-hire driver for Grab and Gojek.
Mr Wong got married in 2017. Before his death, he gave his wife $450 a month and had planned for her to move to Singapore permanently. He also gave his elderly mother a monthly allowance of $390, noted the court documents.
Mr Darren Ng Zi Yuan, one of Mr Wong’s rear seat passengers, is seeking to claim more than $1,333 for medical expenses and replacement of his spectacles and mobile phone.
Mr Muhammad Fariz Sa’adon, 41, who claims to be the driver of a car that the accused’s car had collided with, is seeking claims for his medical expenses and loss of income.
At least two videos of the accident were circulated online. They showed two cars speeding and a red Mercedes-Benz crashing through a railing at a traffic light.
Singapore Civil Defence Force officers had to use hydraulic equipment to rescue Mr Wong, who was trapped in his seat. He was unconscious when he was taken to Changi General Hospital, where he died.
A driver who drives under the influence of alcohol – even when no accident is involved – can be fined up to $10,000, or sentenced to up to a year in jail, or both, and be disqualified from driving for two years for a first offence.
For dangerous driving causing death, first-time offenders face up to eight years in jail, with a minimum mandatory sentence of two years, and could be disqualified from driving for at least 10 years.
Second-time offenders face a minimum mandatory jail term of four years, with up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
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