The Mercedes-Benz driver who was involved in a multi-vehicle crash that injured four pedestrians along Tanjong Pagar Road on Thursday evening has been charged in court.

Lim Kwong Fei, 41, faces one count of drink-driving, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of a six-month jail term, and a fine of between S$1,000 and S$5,000.

The court heard on Friday (Dec 8) that he could face further charges.

Court documents showed that Lim, an insurance agent, was travelling along the road in the direction of Neil Road when the accident happened.

He allegedly veered right on a straight road, mounted the centre divider and ploughed into four pedestrians who were standing on the centre divider.

His car collided with a lorry, before veering to the left, mounting the centre divider again and colliding onto the back of a taxi.

The police said in a statement on Thursday that it was alerted to the accident – which involved a car, a taxi, a lorry and four pedestrians – at the junction of Tanjong Pagar Road and Gopeng Street at 6.29pm.

Lim was arrested thereafter.

Three men and a woman were taken to the Singapore General Hospital, where they are still warded.

One of the Singaporean men, a 56-year-old, was admitted to intensive care for observation. TODAY understands he had sustained internal bleeding in the brain. His 23-year-old daughter suffered lacerations and abrasions.

Another Singaporean man suffered a nose fracture, while an Australian man sustained spinal cord injuries.

Lim, who told the court he intended to get a lawyer, will return to court on Jan 18 next year. He will be out on bail of S$15,000.

In July, the High Court set out new sentencing guidelines for drink-driving cases involving injury or property damage.

Offenders who damage property or injure someone should expect to serve time in jail, except in an exceptional category of cases, where the accused person has strong mitigating reasons.

In explaining the need for a deterrent sentence, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon flagged the uptrend of such cases — a three-fold jump from around 50 in 2014 to nearly 190 in 2016.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by Today

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