'I'm a passerby': Mercedes driver, 42, who was arrested for drink driving at Esplanade initially denied hitting woman

A video of the immediate aftermath of a drink driving accident at Raffles Avenue on Sep. 16 has surfaced, showing the driver initially denying his involvement.

The 42-year-old man, who was arrested after he hit a Chinese tourist with his car, had initially claimed to be a passerby when confronted by the victim's colleagues.

He also admitted to drink driving at first, then backtracked just moments later.

Admitted to, then denied drink driving

According to Shin Min Daily News, the video was taken by a female colleague of the victim immediately after she was hit.

It began with the driver stepping out of the Mercedes-Benz sedan that had veered onto the side of the road.

He then allegedly ran towards some bushes.

When the woman asked him in Mandarin if he had called for an ambulance,  he replied in English, "No, I called my wife. Don't worry, I'm fine."

The woman then asked in English if he had been drinking, to which he answered "yes".

When asked again in Mandarin if he was hurt or if anyone else was in the car, he repeated that he was fine and there was no one else inside.

He then made a phone call, pausing to ask the woman filming for the address of the location.

After he hung up, the woman continued asking how much he had drank, to which he suddenly denied drinking.

She retorted that that was "impossible" as he smelt strongly of alcohol.

Claimed to be passerby

The man also asked the woman if he had hit anyone.

She confirmed this and asked him to check on the victim, who was lying on the ground.

"Oh really?" the man allegedly responded, before repeatedly denying the accident, reported Shin Min.

When he eventually walked over to the victim, he claimed that he "didn't hit her".

When questioned further, the man said: "I didn't drive, I'm a passerby."

He then attempted to leave the scene, claiming he had to go to the restroom.

However, the woman and other onlookers stopped him, asking to exchange contact information.

The police soon arrived at the scene and the man was arrested for drink driving.

A witness previously said he attempted to shake hands with a police officer when officers arrived, but the officer did not respond.

Victim suffered spine fracture

The victim, a Chinese national travelling with a group of colleagues, reportedly suffered a spinal fracture and required surgery after the accident.

She appeared to be conscious but was occasionally touching her lower back, a witness said, adding that several passers-by stepped forward to help her and called for an ambulance.

One of the woman's colleagues, surnamed Zhou, was also injured in the incident.

Zhou told Shin Min that the group had been walking to catch a bus when the accident happened.

According to him, his colleague, who was walking ahead, was struck by the car.

She then collided with him as a result of the impact, causing him to hit a concrete bollard by the roadside.

He also suffered an abrasion to his arm.

He was later admitted to the hospital due to chest tightness and dizziness, but was discharged the following day.