8 Facts About The Traffic Accident At Yio Chu Kang Which Killed 3 Pedestrians

These past two weeks have not been kind for Singapore.

Within a span of a week, three fatal traffic accidents happened. A traffic accident at Clementi killed a 19-year-old NUS student on 19 Apr.

Another traffic accident at Bukit Timah resulted in the death of a 23-year-old woman.

And one day after the Bukit Timah accident, another one occurred at Yio Chu Kang.

Here are 8 facts about the Yio Chu Kang accident that killed three innocent bystanders.

1. What exactly happened

On 23 Apr 2018 at around 9.30 am, a lorry veered onto the sidewalk along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 towards Marymount Road.

It ran over three people: an 87-year-old man, a 59-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man.

Then, it hit the front of a stationary SBS Transit bus before coming to a stop at the sidewalk.

2. Videos of the incident showed the lorry speeding just before the accident happened

Hours after the accident took place, video footage of the incident was shared online.

This is the video shared by Stomp taken from behind the bus.

And here’s another one.

Both videos showed the lorry travelling at high speed before ploughing into the three pedestrians.

3. Father-and-Daughter Duo Killed in Accident, Together with a Family Friend

Paramedics pronounced all three victims dead at the scene.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they had to use a rescue lifting airbag to pull out the bodies of 87-year-old Mr Chua Cheng Thong and his 59-year-old daughter, Gina Chua.

They are reportedly father and daughter.

A third casualty, a 63-year-old man was a family friend.

The 25-year-old lorry driver was sent to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital conscious.

He is under arrest for dangerous driving causing death.

4. Son of the director of a local company, Chang Fu, Located at Northstar @ AMK

A decal on the lorry showed that it belonged to Chang Fu Pte. Ltd., located at Northstar @ AMK.

When reporters visited the office, it was closed.

Mr Xu Shu Jing, the company’s director, reportedly told Today newspaper that his son was driving the lorry when the accident happened.

An online search shows that the company is in the construction industry, and was set up in 2009.

5. Lorry driver experienced ‘blurry eyes’ right before the accident happened

When this issue first blew up online, netizens started speculating.

One guessed using the mobile phone while driving.

And some guessed that the driver dozed off.

Mr Xu, the father of the driver, said that his son told him he experienced ‘blurry eyes’ right before the accident happened.

“(My son) couldn’t see anything, and then the accident happened,” he reportedly said.

Singapore Safety Driving Centre training manager Gerard Pereira told TNP that if he had experienced “blurry eyes”, he should have pulled over immediately.

“I am sure the authorities would not have booked him if he had stopped because he wasn’t feeling well,” he added.

6. SBS Bus hit was stationary at the traffic junction

SBS Transit has issued a statement on the incident.

They said that the bus was stationary at the traffic junction when the lorry collided with its windscreen before crashing to a stop at the sidewalk.

None of the passengers on the bus was hurt.

A picture taken of the bus in the aftermath showed that the windscreen was badly cracked and broken in the accident.

Lucky for the bus driver, the windows on this bus are sturdily built.

7. Residents say the crash site at YCK is an accident-prone area

Residents in the area reportedly told TNP that the area around the Yio Chu Kang MRT station is accident-prone, especially at the turn just before Anderson Junior College (AJC).

A resident, known as Mdm Lim, said that she often hear car horns blaring and tyres screeching at the area.

Someone familiar with the road said that the road there is usually pretty congested during peak hours (due to its proximity to the MRT station).

8. Every road user has the responsibility to ensure road safety

With the number of high-profile accidents recently, the Singapore Road Safety Council (SRSC) chairman, Bernard Tay, says that the key lesson to learn is that accidents can be prevented.

“Every road user has the responsibility to look after one’s own safety and to practise defensive habits whenever they are on the road.”

Singapore Safety Driving Centre training manager Gerard Pereira said that Singapore drivers need to learn to be aware when driving.

That’s because everyone thinks they have the “right of way”.

However, in this instance, it is apparent that it’s not about the right of way, but the condition of the driver.

Update: Driver charged on 24 Apr 2018

Reports stated that the 25-year-old driver was charged with dangerous driving causing death at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he was brought to after the accident.

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