4 previous serious fatal road accidents in Singapore

SINGAPORE - There have been several serious fatal accidents here over the years.

Here are four of them:

When: April 23, 2018

What happened: A permanent resident, then 25, was driving a lorry along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 towards Marymount Road at about 9.30am when he ploughed into and killed three pedestrians.

The driver, who was hurt in the accident, was working as a safety supervisor for his father's construction firm and was driving the company lorry to collect a parcel.

He had a Class 3A driving licence but not a Class 3 licence, which was required to drive the lorry.

How the case ended: He pleaded guilty on Oct 14, 2019, to driving without a Class 3 licence and insurance.

He was fined $1,400 and banned from driving for a year.

While he initially faced a third charge of causing the deaths of the pedestrians by driving dangerously, he was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

This means he can still be prosecuted later, depending on the evidence that emerges from a coroner's inquiry.

When: Aug 9, 2013

What happened: A former logistics operations director, then 36, ploughed into a group of five people who were changing a punctured tyre just before 4am.

The group had been standing at the back of their car that was stationary at the chevrons before the exit to Yio Chu Kang Road, so they could retrieve a breakdown sign and tools for changing the tyre.

Only one in the group survived. The dead were a Singaporean trainee pilot, his Korean girlfriend and her parents.

How the case ended: The driver had been drinking at a pub and was seen speeding at between 90kmh and 110kmh.

He was also driving under the heavy influence of a drug which causes drowsiness and impairs motor skills.

On June 19, 2015, he was given the maximum five years in jail and banned from driving for 20 years.

When: May 12, 2012

What happened: A Chinese national, 31, was killed after he ran a red light at a speed of 178kmh in his $1.8 million Ferrari 599 GTO, colliding into a taxi at about 4.15am.

The crash also killed a Singaporean cabby, 52, and his female passenger, 41, who was studying here to be an interior designer.

How the case ended: Her elderly parents reached a confidential settlement with the insurer of the Ferrari driver.

Her parents had sought to claim over $700,000 from the driver's estate and wanted it to help make good on the gift of an $850,000 flat their daughter had promised them before she died.

When: June 22, 2010

What happened: Three Chinese nationals in their 40s were killed when the lorry they were riding in skidded and tipped over at about 7.35am on the slip road towards Thomson Road, off the Changi-bound side of the PIE.

The driver of the Toyota Dyna lorry had lost control and the vehicle mounted and lodged itself atop a metal divider.

The workers were flung off.

Two died at the scene and the third died later at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The lorry was carrying 15 workers in the back even though only 13 were allowed.