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DANGER STRETCH: Civil Defence Force rescuers at the scene of the crash in which polytechnic students David Li (below left) and Mervin Teo (below right) were killed. Their car skidded off Old Upper Thomson Road, went down a slope and hit a wall of trees.
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TWO polytechnic students, out for a late night spin with their buddies on Tuesday, died after their car went off Old Upper Thomson Road, plunged down a slope and slammed into a wall of trees.
The pair were sitting in the back seat and not wearing seat belts, according to one of two students to survive the crash.
Nanyang Polytechnic student David Li, 18, had head injuries and died on the spot, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
His classmate in the poly's second-year engineering informatics course, 19-year-old Mervin Teo, was taken unconscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He died from his injuries at 1.20am yesterday.
The 19-year-old driver and and his front-seat passenger escaped with slight injuries.
The driver, Republic Polytechnic student Phua Jia Chee, who obtained his driving licence a year ago, was discharged from hospital yesterday morning.
Passenger Tan Han Leng, 20, was conscious when found and was taken to Singapore General Hospital.
Speaking to reporters from his hospital bed yesterday, Mr Tan said the Mitsubishi Lancer had skidded off a snaking stretch of Old Upper Thompson Road and flew sideways into the trees. The road was the track for the Singapore Grand Prix between 1961 and 1973.
The four friends were travelling on a particularly dangerous stretch of road, which has a sharp corner famously known as Devil's Bend.
Before the accident, the friends were at a celebratory dinner for another person, Mr Tan told reporters. They were eating at the Prata House at Thomson Road with Mr Toh Tian Boon, a Nanyang Polytechnic classmate, who had just obtained his driver's licence.
After dinner, the five men, together with a female friend, went to the former Grand Prix track so Mr Toh could try out his new licence.
After one circuit, Mr Toh and the female friend left the four to head home.
That was when the group decided to go for another spin as they felt 'bored', said Mr Tan.
He insisted they had been well within the speed limit and travelling at a maximum of 70kmh when the car veered off the road.
Photos show the front, driver's side airbag had deployed, something confirmed by Mr Tan. He and the driver had been wearing seat belts.
The two dead students had to be removed from the back seat of the car by Singapore Civil Defence Force rescuers.
Mr Tan said none of the four had been drinking alcohol.
Meanwhile, Nanyang Polytechnic students turned out in droves for Mr Li's funeral yesterday afternoon at the Mandai Crematorium.
They described him as a fun, outgoing person whose death had taken them by surprise.
Most had plans for another sad appointment later: Mr Teo's wake at the St Teresa's church in Kampung Bahru.
Said Mr Teo's older brother Melvin, 25: 'I will miss him very much. He was the life of the house.'
carolynq@sph.com.sg
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diothman@sph.com.sg
tansle@sph.com.sg
TWO WHO DIED WERE 'LIKE BROTHERS TO ME': CRASH SURVIVOR, SINGAPORE
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