Deaths of 5 men in Tanjong Pagar crash due to traffic-related misadventure
SINGAPORE — The deaths of five men after a car that they were in crashed and caught fire were due to a traffic-related misadventure, a Coroner’s Inquiry (CI) concluded on Wednesday (24 August).
Calling it a tragic event involving young victims, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said the accident was a reminder to motorists not to drive while under the influence of alcohol, according to a report by The Straits Times.
On the day of the accident on 13 February last year, Jonathan Long Junwei, the 29-year-old driver of the BMW M4, had sped up to 182kmh shortly before it smashed into a pillar of a shophouse and was engulfed in flames seconds later at about 5.40am.
At the point of impact, the car was travelling at between 87kmh and 99kmh along Tanjong Pagar Road, where the speed limit is 50kmh, according to the ST report.
A traffic police investigator told the court during the start of the CI in June this year that Long had 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, above the 80mg legal driving limit.
A police investigator, citing eyewitnesses, testified that Long was showing his new car at Tanjong Pagar Road to his friends, who had earlier gathered to celebrate Chinese New Year at a home in Ang Mo Kio.
The passengers in the car who died were Teo Qi Xiang, 26; Elvin Tan Yong Hao, 28; Eugene Yap Zheng Min, 29; and Gary Wong Hong Chieh, 29.
After the crash, Long’s fiance Raybe Oh Siew Huey, 26, tried to help the victims but to no avail, and was herself severely burnt.
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