What was supposedly a time for family reunions and gatherings last Chinese New Year (CNY) turned out to be a tragedy for five families when a car accident in Tanjong Pagar led to the deaths of five young individuals.
Though it has been nearly 1.5 years since the accident, many details remain unclear.
On Thursday (9 Jun), the coroner’s inquiry into the deaths of the five individuals began, revealing more information about the incident.
Source: Song Seng Wun on Facebook
During the hearing, the court heard that the driver was intoxicated at the time of the accident and had travelled at speeds of nearly three times the legal limit.
Testifying before the State Coroner, Traffic Police investigation officer Mohd Firdaus Sulaiman said that 29-year-old Jonathan Long Junwei was drunk while driving before crashing a BMW M4 into a shophouse along Tanjong Pagar Road.
The car burst into flames shortly after, killing Mr Long and four other passengers:
All five men died of severe burns that engulfed the car. Two of the passengers also suffered injuries to their spine and pelvis, reports Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Source: Smi Smi on Facebook
The police officer shared that Mr Long had a blood-alcohol reading of 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, exceeding the legal limit of 80mg/100ml.
Separately, investigations by the Health Sciences Authority reportedly found that the car was travelling at speeds of up to 148km/hour when Mr Long was behind the wheel. This was nearly thrice the 50km/hour speed limit along Tanjong Pagar Road.
Mr Firdaus also narrated the events before the fatal accident.
Prior to it, the five victims had apparently gathered at a house in Ang Mo Kio for CNY celebrations and consumed alcohol, reported The Straits Times.
They subsequently proceeded to Hong Jja Jang restaurant along Tanjong Pagar Road run by a Mr Park Se Jin. It wasn’t disclosed how Mr Park was related to the group.
Source: Hong_jja_jang on Facebook
There, the group continued drinking alcohol until about 4am when Mr Long decided to show off his new car. Mr Firdaus also shared that evidence from witnesses showed that the group was “excited” to feel how the sports car drove.
Before the crash, the car was taken for a spin by three different drivers, including Mr Yap and Mr Park.
When Mr Long took the car for the fourth round, he lost control of the vehicle, causing it to skid towards a shophouse along Tanjong Pagar Road. The two-seater subsequently mounted a kerb, rear-ended a pillar, and burst into flames.
Ms Raybe Oh, Mr Long’s fiancee, rushed to the burning car in an attempt to rescue the men but ended up suffering severe burns in the process.
The coroner’s inquiry will reportedly resume with a fire investigator testifying before the court.
Though the revelations may be shocking, they do not make the accident any less tragic.
The loss of such young lives is still saddening, especially for their loved ones.
We can only hope that the incident serves as a reminder for drivers to stick to the stipulated traffic rules so such a tragedy does not happen again.
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Featured image adapted from Song Seng Wun on Facebook and Smi Smi on Facebook.
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