Driver in Tampines chain collision admits to running red light at 129kmh, crashing into 3 cars and killing 2
Several of the vehicles involved in the chain collision were driven by parents ferrying their children to school.
by Lydia Lam · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: A driver in a deadly chain collision in Tampines pleaded guilty on Thursday (Aug 6), admitting to running a red light at a speed of at least 129kmh and barrelling into vehicles crossing a junction, killing a 17-year-old student and a 57-year-old woman.
Several of the vehicles involved in the multi-vehicle collision at peak hour on Apr 22, 2024, were driven by parents ferrying their children to school. Ten people were injured.
Before the fatal collision on Apr 22, 2024, Muhammad Syafie Ismail had dropped off a GrabHitch passenger on Tampines Road. When another vehicle overtook him, he became angry and accelerated to at least 122kmh to overtake the vehicle dangerously.
In swerving in and out of lanes along Bedok Reservoir Road, he narrowly missed a motorcyclist, side-swiped the vehicle he overtook and kept going.
At about 7am, Syafie came to the cross junction of Bedok Reservoir Road, Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4, where the light had been red for at least 26 seconds.
He dashed straight into the junction at a speed of at least 129 kmh, even though vehicles with the right of way were travelling across the road in both directions.
Syafie collided with three vehicles, which spun and hit a van and a bus. A 17-year-old student in one of the spinning vehicles was trapped under another vehicle and died from serious injuries that fractured her bones.
Her father had fainted after his vehicle overturned, but when he came to in hospital and heard that his daughter had died, he broke down in tears.
The court imposed gag orders protecting the identities of several of the victims.
Syafie, a 45-year-old Singaporean man, pleaded guilty to three charges for dangerous driving causing death, causing grievous hurt and causing hurt. Other charges will be considered in sentencing.
The court heard that several of the victims were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the collision.
The mother of the 17-year-old girl who died also developed major depressive disorder.
She experienced extreme sadness, felt life was meaningless and blamed her husband because he was alive while their daughter had died.
However, she rationalised that it was not his fault. She blamed the school for arranging the event that day. She also blamed herself, because she had an instinct that day that something bad would happen.
She missed her daughter greatly and avoided that junction, arguing with a taxi driver when he drove past it.
She stopped working, had no energy to do housework and struggled to attend to the needs of her other children.
Sentencing was adjourned to a later date, as the defence needs time to prepare its mitigation and sentencing submissions as the prosecution submitted its sentencing submissions only a few days prior.
For dangerous driving causing death, Syafie could be jailed for up to 10 years and banned from driving.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app