Driver Who Went Against Traffic in AYE & Killed 1 Allegedly Had Major Mental Condition

About three years ago, this accident shocked the nation.

On the morning of 19 December 2016, at around 8:00 a.m., a silver Mercedes sped against the flow of traffic in AYE near the Tuas Checkpoint. It hit a car head-on and a motorbike after that, causing one death and four injuries.

The driver of the car that collided head-on with the Mercedes was pronounced dead at the scene. The wife of the driver was sent to the hospital, together with the motorcyclist and his pillion, and the Mercedes driver.

A bus that was going to Selangor was chipped by a car that was trying to sway from a head-on collision, and the passengers, all uninjured, boarded another bus that came soon after.

Yesterday (14 October 2019), the now 56-year-old driver pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by a rash act.

The prosecutors had sought for at least two years’ imprisonment and a driving ban of twelve years, but his defence lawyers asked for a five to seven months’ imprisonment and a driving ban of eight years.

Now, this isn’t the only charge the driver’s facing: he’ll also be sentenced for four more charges (three for causing grievous hurt and one for causing hurt) at a later date.

So, what exactly happened that day?

Started to Drive Wildly at CTE

According to what was mentioned in court yesterday (14 October 2019), the driver, businessman Lim Chai Heng, was driving his son from their home at Hougang to Depot Road.

The first red flag occurred in CTE, when his son asked him why he had not used the Braddell Road exit at CTE to avoid the CTE, in which the elder Lim said, “Do not be afraid. I know the way.”

To get to Depot Road, he was supposed to exit at Jalan Bukit Merah in AYE. However, the elder Lim did not exit despite his son’s repeated request, and even accusing the younger Lim of not trusting him.

He then entered Tuas Checkpoint (which is all the way to the end of AYE), made a three-point turn and went against traffic, going at up to 147kmh.

That was when he crashed into a Toyota Vios head-on.

So, why had he done that?

Nothing to Do with the Car

Suffice to say, it’s nothing to do with any mechanical defects in the car—after all, he could do a three-point turn, which requires the car to come to a complete stop.

It turns out that the elder Lim has acute psychosis.

Acute Psychosis

According to WebMD, psychosis is a condition that affects the way a person’s brain processes information. Due to that condition, one might “lose touch with reality” and see or hear things that aren’t real.

Now, do note that psychosis is condition that’s triggered by mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression, and it can also be triggered by external factors such as stress, side effects of medications or physical condition such as a brain tumour.

In other words, it’s not a disorder by itself, but a condition triggered by something else, whether internal (i.e. mental disorder) or external (stress).

According to a report by the Institute of Mental Health, Lim’s judgement has been significantly impaired by the condition.

However, for this case, it’s unknown what’s triggered the psychosis.