SINGAPORE: A driver who allegedly collided with a cyclist along Nicoll Highway, killing him, was driving against traffic and believed to be drunk, a coroner’s court heard on Wednesday (Sep 19).
The inquiry into Mr Basra Rajan Singh’s death opened on Wednesday, with an investigating officer stating his findings into the case.
Mr Singh, a 45-year-old man from the United Kingdom, was cycling along Nicoll Highway in the early hours of Dec 19, 2023.
Footage from a Land Transport Authority camera showed a vehicle going against the flow of traffic along Nicoll Highway, towards Rochor.
The collision occurred near a bend. Footage showed Mr Singh cycling and trying to avoid colliding with the car, but failing.
In a head-on collision, Mr Singh was flung upwards before landing on the road surface.
He was taken to hospital but died that same morning, the court heard.
The investigating officer said the driver, a Mr Tan, had said he had “dozed off momentarily” before the collision.
Mr Tan is set to be charged with dangerous driving.
EVIDENCE FROM THE VALET DRIVER
The court heard that Mr Tan was originally supposed to be ferried by a valet driver named Mr Ong.
Mr Ong started work on the night of Dec 18, 2023. According to the investigating officer, Mr Ong described waiting for Mr Tan and his girlfriend.
When they arrived at about 5am, Mr Ong took the keys from Mr Tan’s girlfriend and started the engine. He knew which car they used as they were regulars.
Mr Ong claimed that Mr Tan responded to his question about the destination in a “nasty and aggressive manner” and shouted at Mr Ong.
Mr Ong noticed that Mr Tan appeared to be drunk and said he needed to update his colleagues.
He said Mr Tan refused to listen and kept shouting at Mr Ong, saying that if Mr Ong could not drive, Mr Tan would “drive himself”.
Assessing the situation, Mr Ong decided not to continue providing his valet service and alighted from the vehicle.
The investigation officer also narrated accounts from other witnesses at the scene, including a part-time Grab driver who was about to enter the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) when he saw a motorcyclist waving at him.
The driver, a Mr Han, stopped his car and asked the motorcyclist what happened. The motorcyclist said he noticed a white car, believed to be Mr Tan’s, travelling against the flow of traffic.
The motorcyclist believed that the white car may have collided with a cyclist before driving away.
Mr Han saw Mr Singh lying on the centre divider of Nicoll Highway, still breathing.
He immediately called for an ambulance and waited until it arrived, along with the police.
According to the investigating officer on Mr Singh’s case, a taxi driver looking for customers was driving along Nicoll Highway towards the KPE on the morning of Dec 19, 2023.
He was on Lane 2 of the three-lane road after the junction of Beach Road, when he noticed the headlights of a car from a distance.
The cabby signalled to the opposing driver by applying his high beam multiple times.
The cabby drove past the car, believed to be Mr Tan’s, but could not see the driver.
He noticed that the front bumper of the car was damaged and did not have a vehicle registration number.
The taxi driver drove on and saw a person standing next to the entrance of KPE and saw some fragments on the road surface, along with an unknown object at the centre divider.
Inspections of Mr Tan’s car revealed no abnormalities. Operational tests on Mr Singh’s bicycle could not be carried out due to the damage sustained to the bicycle, likely as a result of the accident.
Mr Singh died from multiple injuries consistent with those sustained in a road traffic accident.
The police said there was no evidence to suggest foul play.
The coroner asked the investigating officer if there was any analysis done on the speed of Mr Tan’s vehicle, but the officer said the police were waiting on the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) for this.
The coroner will give his findings at a later date. The hearing was attended by Mr Singh’s wife and Mr Singh’s friends, who declined comment when approached by CNA.
