Raybe Oh ran to a blazing wreck to save others, now struggles to deal with being flamed online

Sixteen months after the horrific crash, Ms Raybe Oh is still struggling to cope with the loss of her fiance and what seems to be an endless cycle of surgical operations to treat her burns.

But it appears that some strangers are intensifying her torment.

Ms Oh, 28, has had to fight back tears when reading netizens' comments about the car accident in Tanjong Pagar last February, which killed her fiance and four of their friends.

Following news reports of Thursday's (June 9) coroner's inquiry into the crash, the former air stewardess is once again facing online vitriol.

Comments target her and her fiance, Mr Jonathan Long, 29, who was the driver in the crash on Feb 13 last year.

Some netizens go as far as to curse both their families and express glee over the deaths of the five men.

While she has tried to stay strong in front of her friends and family, the unkind comments have begun to take a toll on her.

Speaking to The Straits Times on Thursday, she admitted to internalising some of these negative comments.

"I deserve it. I know there will be many unkind comments, but I choose to read them," she said.

"I am sorry for setting a bad example, and I am paying the price."

While she is greatly affected by the comments about her, those that target Mr Long and their families have been especially crushing.

"Please, I can still handle those that target me, but our families have nothing to do with what happened," she said.

"Our parents have gone through so much. They are good people who gave their all to raise us. Please leave the elderly alone. We are accountable for what happened, not them."

She was part of a group of friends drinking at a restaurant in Tanjong Pagar when some of them decided to test-drive Mr Long's new BMW M4.

When Mr Long took four friends - Mr Wilson Teo Qi Xiang, 26; Mr Elvin Tan Yong Hao, 28; Mr Eugene Yap Zheng Min, 29; and Mr Gary Wong Hong Chieh, 29 - for a spin, he crashed into a shophouse pillar.

The coroner's inquiry heard that he was driving at speeds of up to 148kmh and crashed into the pillar at between 87kmh and 99kmh.

Ms Oh, who was not in the car, dashed to the crash site in an effort to save the people inside. She suffered burns to 80 per cent of her body.

She said she often thinks about that day and has been getting professional help and therapy to deal with the trauma.

But recently, the pain of what happened has become increasingly unbearable.

"I didn't really have nightmares or flashbacks of the accident before, and I could watch the videos posted online about it," she said.

"I thought I was handling everything well. But now I can't. I no longer have the courage to watch the videos from that night."

She is not sure what caused the sudden change.

She said she is now overcome by the fear of reliving the moment she lost her fiance in the fiery crash.

Describing Mr Long as her best friend, she said there is an ache in her chest whenever the reality of him no longer being around hits her.

"I lost my best friend, whom I shared everything with," she said. "The pain hits differently when I think about how I can no longer rant to him or get a hug from him after a rough day."

She wanted to marry Mr Long as she saw the love in his family.

"He is filial and sweet, and his parents are a loving couple who set a good example for him," she said.

"He is a loving partner, and I believe that he would have followed in his parents' footsteps and been a loving father as well."

Mr Long's father, Mr Long Sai Tew, was at the hearing on Thursday. He declined to comment when approached by ST. He was seen clutching a pamphlet on how to deal with the grief of losing a loved one.

Ms Oh, who was also a singer at getai events, has had about 40 operations since the accident, including for skin grafting and to treat her scars.

She remains in a lot of pain for days after each surgical procedure.

Her injuries have also made her skin sensitive to the sun and heat, and she now spends most of her time indoors.

She said she is trying to get better for the sake of those around her.

She is currently resting after undergoing an operation this week, and another is scheduled in about two weeks' time.

"I can only cry to cope, but I keep telling myself to think of my mother, my father, my brother, and Jon's family, whom I love as well," she said.

"I don't want them to worry so I need to be strong."