A man who drove at speeds of up to 140kmh along a slip road from the CTE lost control of his car and crashed into a tree, splitting the vehicle in two.
The accident led to the death of his two passengers.
On Sept 4, Ong Wei Long, 28, was sentenced to two years’ jail after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, causing the death of Shannon Lim Xin Rong and her boyfriend, Tan Bing Quan, both 26.
Ong will also be disqualified from driving for 10 years from the date of his release.
The court heard that on Aug 10, 2023, Ong drove his 26-year-old second-hand car to pick Mr Tan from his home in Kovan. The pair then went to the gym, before picking Ms Lim up.
Ms Lim sat in the front passenger seat, while Mr Tan sat behind her in the rear seat. Ong then drove them to Seletar. The trio had planned to go to a spot near Seletar Aerospace Drive to spend time together and chat.
Just after midnight, they were in their car along the CTE towards the SLE when Ong entered a slip road in the direction of Seletar West Link.
While taking the bend, Ong lost control of his car and slammed into a tree on the right side of the road.
The impact split the chassis of the car in two, with the front half remaining in lane one of the two-lane slip road, while the back half landed on another slip road nearby.
Ms Lim was later found unconscious in her seat while Mr Tan was found dead on a grass patch by the car.
Ms Lim, who suffered multiple injuries, was pronounced brain-dead about a week after the crash. The cause of death was a cervical spine injury.
Meanwhile, Ong suffered spine fractures, among other injuries, and was admitted to a surgical high dependency unit at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. He was discharged almost three weeks later to a community hospital for rehabilitation.
In her submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicole Tay highlighted how Ong was driving at speeds of 116 kmh to 140 kmh, which far exceeded the 50kmh speed limit for that stretch of road.
DPP Tay said: “We emphasise that this occurred while the accused was negotiating a bend along a slip road, which is an area where a driver would need to exercise greater care.”
In mitigation, defence lawyer Adrian Wee said Ong is remorseful, adding that he has had a clean driving record since he obtained his licence in 2016.
Mr Wee said: “We urge the court to consider that our client has already been severely punished by having to live with the fact that he has caused the death of his two friends, a burden he must carry for the rest of his life.
“This has had, and will continue to have, the utmost deterrent and retributive effect on our client.”
Those convicted of dangerous driving causing death can be jailed for up to eight years and banned from driving.
Nadine Chua for The Straits Times
Man jailed for 140kmh Seletar West Link crash that split car, killed 2 passengers
