A man and his twin brother were making their way home after dinner and drinks.
He was driving his twin brother's red Mercedes and lost control while attempting a left turn from Tampines Avenue 1 onto Tampines Avenue 10.
The Mercedes, which was travelling between 92km/h and 108km/h, ploughed into several vehicles in the opposite lane, killing a Gojek driver and injuring five other commuters.
The district judge agreed with the prosecution that the accident was one of the worst in recent memory and said the man treated the roads like the Grand Prix driving circuit by driving at excessive speeds while intoxicated.
Background
Driving two times faster than speed limit
On the night of Dec. 23, 2021, 35-year-old Jeremiah Ng En You was found speeding between 157km/h to 169km/h, which was more than two times the 60km/h speed limit along Tampines Avenue 1.
Video from Roads.sg/Facebook.
He slowed to between 146km/h and 156km/h and then between 122km/h and 130km/h when approaching the junction to attempt the left turn.
At around 11pm, Ng rammed the Mercedes into a white car which was ferrying a 59-year-old male Gojek driver, Kenn Wong Mun Soon, and two other passengers.
The collision caused the white car to hit surrounding vehicles, sandwiching a 25-year-old motorcyclist who was lane splitting.
Video from Roads.sg/Facebook.
Gojek driver passed away
Wong and four others, aged 22 to 38, were conveyed to Changi General Hospital. A 42-year-old male taxi driver sought medical treatment at a private clinic.
Wong, who was found unconscious and flatlining, passed away at the hospital on Dec. 24, 2021 shortly after the accident.
Was drinking prior to fatal accident
Ng's breath evidential analyser test that was administered around two hours after the accident indicated that he had 42 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
He admitted that he had four cans of beer with his twin brother and friends in his office prior to the accident.
He was handed five charges — one for drink driving and four for dangerous driving causing Wong's death, grievous hurt to one person, hurt to four others, and resulting in a collision with a car respectively.
Ng pleaded guilty to drink driving and dangerous driving causing Wong's death, and agreed for the three other dangerous driving charges to be taken into consideration during sentencing.
Sentenced to seven years' jail
On the day of Ng's sentencing on Oct. 27, 2023, District Judge Salina Ishak said the incident was a tragic and horrific case, The Straits Times reported.
She noted that there were other commuters in the area at the time of the incident and said, "It is only fortuitous that no one else was hurt."
Stating that irresponsible driving can have deadly consequences, Salina said:
"The present case is one such case which clearly illustrates the devastating effect of the deadly combination of dangerous driving while under the influence of alcohol."
She noted that while Ng was extremely familiar with the Tampines roads, having driven the same route six days a week for the last 12 years, this was not a licence for him to treat the roads like the Grand Prix driving circuit by driving at such excessive speeds while under the influence of alcohol.
She sentenced Ng to seven years' jail and disqualified him from driving for 12 years after his release from prison.
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Top image screenshot from SG Road Vigilante - SGRV and Roads.sg on Facebook