Drunk woman, 48, driving at around 125km/h on CTE, hits motorcyclist, causes brain injury, gets 1 year & 4 months' jail

A 48-year-old woman who drove at speeds of up to 125km/h while intoxicated before crashing into the rear of a motorcycle was sentenced to one year and four months in jail on Aug. 25.

As a result of the impact, the motorcyclist was flung into the air and suffered severe head injuries and multiple fractures.

The woman also fled the scene after the crash.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the woman, Xie Lijun (transliteration), faced five charges, including drink driving, driving without due care and attention, and hit-and-run.

She pleaded guilty to four charges, with the remaining charge taken into consideration during sentencing.

Xie was also fined S$6,000 and disqualified from driving for seven years.

What happened

The incident took place at 1:03am on Sep. 17, 2023, along the Central Expressway (CTE) towards the Seletar Expressway (SLE), Shin Min reported.

The day before the accident, Xie had gathered with some friends at a restaurant along Amoy Street at about 6pm.

After drinking several glasses of red wine, the group went to a nearby bar to continue drinking.

Xie left the bar in the early hours of the following day.

She drove a friend home before continuing towards her own home.

According to the Chinese-language newspaper, Xie was initially travelling in the first lane of the CTE before changing lanes across two lanes.

After travelling in the third lane for about eight seconds, she crashed into the rear of a motorcycle.

Investigations found that Xie was travelling at between 116km/h and 125km/h at the time.

The speed limit along that stretch of road was 90km/h.

The impact threw the motorcyclist into the air, and he landed heavily on Xie’s car before rolling onto the road.

After the collision, Xie’s car continued to move forward, dragging the motorcycle along with it.

She later got out of the car to check on the rider, but returned to her vehicle and drove away.

Victim received 588 days of sick leave

According to Shin Min, the injured 39-year-old motorcyclist, a food delivery driver, was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for emergency treatment.

He suffered severe brain injuries and multiple fractures to his skull, face, eight ribs, sternum, two parts of his spine, pelvis, left wrist, and right foot.

He also suffered bruising to both lungs, and also suffered a left-sided hemopneumothorax, a condition in which both blood and air accumulate in the pleural space surrounding the lung, requiring intubation.

He was given a total of 588 days of medical leave and continued to require treatment.

As of May 30, 2025, he experienced partial loss of sensation in his right foot, as well as weakness when lifting and lowering his right ankle.

He also suffered intermittent chronic headaches and mild cognitive impairment affecting his language expression and abstract thinking abilities.

Woman fled the scene

Xie did not call the police or provide assistance to the rider after the accident.

Instead, she called a female friend while fleeing the scene, telling her that she might have killed someone, Shin Min reported.

The friend advised Xie to call the police, but she only made the call after returning to the car park at her home.

By then, police had already identified her and subsequently arrested her at the car park.

An alcohol test found that Xie had 77mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Investigations estimated that her blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was between 86mg and 218mg per 100ml, exceeding the then-legal limit of 80mg per 100ml.

Under new legislation proposed on Jul. 7, 2026, the legal blood alcohol limit will be lowered to 30mg per 100ml.

The prosecution pointed out that Xie was not only driving while intoxicated and speeding, but also had about eight seconds after changing lanes to observe the road ahead.

Despite this, she did not see the motorcyclist before crashing into him.

Highlighting the severity of the rider’s injuries, the prosecution sought a sentence of 16 to 17 months' jail, a S$6,000 fine, a seven- to eight-year driving disqualification.

The court heard that Xie had paid the rider S$30,000 in compensation on May 25, 2024.

Her insurer also paid him a further S$30,000.

The rider’s total medical expenses amounted to S$41,341.

These were mainly covered by MediShield Life, MediSave, and other social assistance schemes.

He personally paid S$1,689 out of pocket.