Remember when five men died in a burning BMW after crashing into a Tanjong Pagar shophouse?
The coroner’s inquiry is out, and it turns out that the driver was drunk driving at almost three times the speed limit before the accident.
Here’s what really happened.
Drink Driving and Speeding at 148kmh
Traffic Police investigator, Senior Staff Sergeant Muhammad Firdaus Suleiman testified on 9 June before State Coroner Adam Nakhoda, that the speed limit for Tanjong Pagar Road is 50kmh.
However, investigations showed that the car was speeding at up to 148kmh before the accident on 13 February 2021.
Additionally, the autopsy showed that the driver, Mr Jonathan Long Junweim had a reading of 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. This exceeded the legal limit of 80mg per 100ml, which means he was drink driving.
What Happened
It’s been more than a year since the accident, so for those of you who forgot what happened, a BMW basically crashed into a shophouse.
The car involved in the accident, a BMW M4 coupe, was seen speeding along Tanjong Pagar Road at the time.
Eyewitnesses say the car then slammed into a vacant shophouse previously occupied by Five Oars Coffee Roasters and burst into flames.
Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene, but it was too late; all five men on board were pronounced dead at the scene.
Those who died included Mr Long and Eugene Yap, both 29, Elvin Tan Yong Hao, 28, Teo Qi Xiang, 26, and Gary Wong Hong Chieh, 29.
Girlfriend Went Into Fire To Save Boyfriend
Perhaps more of you would remember Ms Raybe Oh Siew Huey, the ex-air stewardess who was the girlfriend of Mr Long.
Ms Oh raced towards the burning wreckage in order to save her boyfriend and emerged 10 seconds later engulfed in flames.
She was warded in the intensive care unit for over a week before being moved to a high dependency ward.
It really was a tragic tale, especially since Mr Long and Ms Oh had applied for a flat together not long before the accident.
However, Ms Oh is doing better now and has started a small business at the end of last year. You can read more about it here.
Hopefully, this coroner’s inquiry has given Ms Oh and Mr Long’s loved ones a proper closure.
Featured Image: Facebook (The Straits Times)
