A man who was involved in an accident last year that caused the death of a National University of Singapore (NUS) student has had his bail set at S$5,000, according to The Straits Times.

Court documents showed that Ng Li Ning, 22, is facing a dangerous driving charge after he crashed into a right-turning taxi while allegedly speeding along Commonwealth Avenue West.

He is alleged to have driven at 92km/h on a road where the speed limit was 70km/h.

His pre-trial conference was held on Friday (Oct. 11).

Amongst the four passengers in the taxi was 19-year-old NUS undergraduate Kathy Ong.

Ong died from multiple injuries sustained in the accident.

Her three friends sitting in front and with her in the backseat —  Zon Lim (22), Ting Jun Heng (22) and Lim Jin Jie (23) — also sustained grievous injuries.

Earlier this year in August, the taxi driver, Yap Kok Hua, was sentenced to eight weeks' jail after pleading guilty to causing Ong’s death by a negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, and serious injuries to three others who were in the taxi he was driving at the time by a negligent act.

The 55-year-old former taxi driver, who is now unemployed, will also be disqualified from holding all classes of driving licences for five years.

The accident

According to court documents, Yap had picked up Ong and her friends at Clementi Mall on April 19, 2018, at about 7:27pm. They were headed toward Tembusu College.

He had failed to ensure that Ong, Ting, and Jin Jie were wearing their seat belts.

As his taxi approached the cross junction of Commonwealth Avenue West and Clementi Road, Yap heeded a red light and stopped.

When the lights turned green, he moved forward into the right-turn pocket, stopping to check for any oncoming vehicles.

Despite seeing Ng's car coming towards him from the opposite direction at a very high speed, Yap executed a discretionary right turn, resulting in the fatal accident.

Ng's vehicle, which was moving at more than 20km/h over the speed limit, crashed into the taxi's side, sending both cars spinning.

The taxi also ended up hitting another car that was stationary at the junction.

In the course of Yap's sentencing, a senior forensic scientist who observed various clips of the accident from multiple angles estimated that the Nissan Presage was at least 20km/h above the speed limit of 70km/h on that road, measuring his speed at between 92 and 97km/h, between 0.3 and 0.9 seconds before impact.

Taken over a slightly longer period, between 0.3 and 1.3 seconds before impact, Ng’s average speed was estimated by the same scientist to be between 102 and 104km/h.

Injuries sustained

Ong was rushed to the National University Hospital and arrived at 8:02pm. She was pronounced dead about two and a half hours later.

The three other passengers were taken to the same hospital.

•  Zon, who was in the front seat, suffered injuries to his face and brain, with glass pieces being found in his wounds.
• Jin Jie, who was seated on the right-hand side of the back seat, suffering similar injuries to his brain, and a fracture on the right side of his spine.
• Ting suffered the most grievous of the injuries, being seated in the centre. He suffered a seizure, traumatic brain injury, a bruised lung, fractured ribs, a tear in his kidney and multiple pelvic bone fractures.

The Straits Times reported that Ng's next pre-trial conference will be held on Nov. 15.

First-time offenders convicted of dangerous driving can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $5,000. Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $10,000.

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Top image via Keith Ong’s Facebook page & Roads.sg screenshot