The driver who caused the fatal Tampines chain collision in 2024 has been sentenced to 12 years and nine months’ jail and banned from driving for life.
Muhammad Syafie Ismail, 45, was sentenced on Monday, 5 October, over the crash that killed two people and injured eight others.
He had pleaded guilty in August to three charges: dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing grievous hurt and dangerous driving causing hurt. Other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
Entered Junction After Red Light Was On for At Least 26 Seconds
The crash happened on the morning of 22 April 2024, during the peak-hour period.
Syafie had been driving along Bedok Reservoir Road after dropping off a GrabHitch passenger. Before the fatal collision, he had overtaken another vehicle, swerved between lanes and side-swiped the car he had passed.
He then reached the junction of Bedok Reservoir Road, Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4 at about 7am.
According to court proceedings reported by CNA, the traffic light had been red for at least 26 seconds when he entered the junction.
He was travelling at between 129kmh and 134kmh in an area with a 50kmh speed limit.
His car crashed into three vehicles, triggering a chain collision that involved six vehicles in total.
2 People Died and 8 Others Were Injured
The crash killed a 17-year-old student and a 57-year-old woman.
The student cannot be named because the court imposed a gag order protecting her identity.
Three victims suffered grievous hurt, while another five were injured. The injured included two 11-year-old boys.
Police said in April 2024 that they were alerted to an accident involving four cars, a van and a minibus at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4 at about 7.05am.
At the time, a 17-year-old female car passenger and a 57-year-old female van passenger were taken unconscious to hospital, where they later died.
Several other drivers and passengers were also taken to hospital, while two others later sought medical attention on their own.
Judge Said Case Justified Maximum Sentence for Death Charge
Principal District Judge Toh Han Li said the facts of the case justified the maximum sentence for the dangerous driving causing death charge.
Although Syafie had pleaded guilty, the judge allowed only a 15 per cent reduction instead of a larger discount, given the severity of the case.
The judge also ordered three of Syafie’s sentences to run consecutively. In simple terms, this means the jail terms are served one after another rather than fully overlapping.
According to CNA, the judge noted that there were multiple victims, and that the crash caused lasting emotional trauma to victims and their families.
Normal traffic flow resumed only about 10 hours after the collision because of the severity of the crash.
Prosecution Had Sought Up to 13.5 Years’ Jail
The prosecution had asked for between 12 years and nine months’ jail and 13-and-a-half years’ jail, as well as a lifetime driving ban.
The defence had sought a jail term of between seven-and-a-half and eight years.
Syafie’s lawyer said the accident was unusual and exceptional, and that Syafie was “ridden with guilt”. The court also heard that Syafie had written a letter apologising for the pain, grief and loss caused to the victims and their families.
Both the prosecution and defence sought a lifetime driving ban.
For dangerous driving causing death, Syafie could have been jailed for between two and eight years and disqualified from driving.
For dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, he could have been jailed for between one and five years.
For dangerous driving causing hurt, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
