Drunk driver jailed for crashing into two vehicles and fleeing from scene
After consuming alcohol, he drove to work and lost control of his car. He slammed into another car and a motorcycle while a second motorcycle also toppled due to the collision.
Stanley Lim Wen Bin, a 33-year-old swimming instructor, beat a red light and drove against the flow of traffic along Petir Road in the accident. He fled the scene instead of attending to the accident victims, one of whom desperately chased him on foot.
For his offences, Lim was jailed five months, fined $1,000 and disqualified from driving for four years on Wednesday (20 June). He admitted to one count of drink driving, one count of dangerous driving and one count of failing to render assistance after the accident. One count of failing to stop after the accident was taken into consideration for sentencing.
The accident on 26 May 2017 involved four victims – a driver, two motorcyclists and a pillion rider.
At around 5.50pm that day, Lim was heading towards Bukit Batok Swimming Complex after consuming some alcohol. As he took a right turn at the T-junction from Petir Road into Dairy Farm Road, he lost control of his car, which mounted the kerb at the central divider.
He swerved towards the lane in the opposite direction before colliding into the rear of another car. He then drove forward and hit a motorcycle. The impact of the collision caused another motorcycle to fall. The incident was seen by a witness, Abdul Rahim Mohd Sultan, who was driving along Petir Road towards Dairy Farm Road.
Instead of stopping, Lim drove back into Petir Road, beating a red light. He went against the flow of traffic, with a motorcyclist chasing him on foot. Rahim trailed Lim and located his car at the end of Chestnut Avenue, outside the PUB building.
A breathalyser test on Lim showed that he had 82 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the prescribed limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath.
The first motorcyclist and his pillion rider sought medical treatment and were given two and one days of medical leave, respectively. Court documents stated that while the two felt bodily pain, no injuries were noted. The other motorcyclist and the driver did not seek medical treatment.
The car that Lim collided into had its front and right-centre portions cracked, dented and ripped off, while its rear right tyre was punctured. It also sustained scratches, which caused $2,000 to fix. The two motorcycles had damages amounting to a few hundred dollars each.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kayal Pillay called for a sentence of five months’ jail, and a fine of at least $800, and four years disqualification from driving for Lim, citing the high potential of harm that Lim could have caused.
“Though there was but slight harm (caused to the victims), the potential for harm was much higher and it is merely fortuitous that (Lim’s) egregious driving did not result in greater harm,” said the prosecutor.
District Judge Kessler Soh told Lim, “You need to know when you drink, you need to be responsible.”
For drink driving, Lim could have been jailed up to six months or fined between $1,000 and $5,000. For driving in a rash manner, he could have been jailed up to a year and/or fined $5,000. For failing to render assistance, he could have been jailed up to three months or fined $1,000.
