SINGAPORE: After drinking beer at her family’s Chinese New Year celebration, a woman drove while drunk and made a discretionary right turn into a motorcycle that was going straight in Bukit Panjang.
The motorcyclist and his female passenger, both 22, sustained fractures and other injuries in the collision.
When the police arrived, they did not find the driver and her car at the accident site. She returned only about half an hour later on her husband’s instruction.
For her crimes, 61-year-old Singaporean Koh Chiew Hwa was sentenced on Friday (Sep 27) to three months’ jail, a fine of S$5,000 (US$3,900) and a driving ban of seven years.
The mother of three and grandmother of one pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving and one count of causing grievous hurt by driving without reasonable consideration for other road users.
Another three charges were taken into consideration for failing to stop and provide her particulars, failing to render assistance and removing the car from the accident site without police authority.
WHAT HAPPENED
The court heard that Koh went to her sister’s home in Senja Close at about 6.50pm on Feb 5 last year for a Chinese New Year family celebration.
She drank at least two cans of Carlsberg beer between 8pm and 9pm.
After 9pm, she left her sister’s home, ferrying three adult family members as passengers intending to send two of them home.
She was driving along lane 1 of Senja Road towards Bukit Panjang Ring Road at about 9.15pm on Feb 5, 2023, when she approached the signalised T-junction of Senja Road by Senja Way.
At the same time, the victims were on their motorcycle going straight, approaching the same junction from the opposite direction.
Footage played from Koh’s in-car camera was shown in court. It showed the lights of the motorcycle, and how Koh turned right at the junction without stopping.
The light was green for Koh, but there was no green right-turn arrow.
The lights were also green for the motorcyclist and he proceeded straight, trying to veer away from Koh at the last minute when he realised she was about to hit him.
He was unable to avoid Koh and her car collided with the right side of his motorcycle.
Passers-by witnessed the collision and helped call for the police and ambulance assistance.
AFTER THE COLLISION
Immediately after the collision, Koh stopped her car some distance from the accident site and her passengers alighted.
She continued to drive away from the accident site, the prosecution said.
At about 10.15pm, police officers arrived at the scene and did not find Koh or her car there.
At about 10.50pm, Koh drove back to the accident site after her husband told her to do so.
Police officers there noticed that Koh smelled of alcohol, had a flushed face and bloodshot eyes, and slurred in her speech.
They asked her for a breath specimen for a preliminary breath test. After five attempts, the test returned a “fail” result.
She was arrested and brought to traffic police headquarters. She did another breath test which showed a result of 46 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the limit of 35 microgrammes.
The motorcyclist and his pillion rider were taken to hospital. He suffered a fractured foot, bruises to his thigh and elbow and lacerations to his face, and had to undergo surgery and skin grafting.
He was given 16 days’ hospitalisation leave.
His pillion rider suffered fractures to her thigh and pelvis. She underwent surgery two days after the accident and was discharged on Feb 17, 2023.
She returned for follow-up reviews and was given more than 80 days’ hospitalisation leave in total.
The motorcycle sustained damage on both sides while the car was damaged in the front. The total cost of repair to the motorcycle was estimated to be S$3,700.
TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE FOR HER: DEFENCE
Defence lawyer Kesavan Nair from Bayfront Law said this was his client’s first conviction, and the experience was “a traumatic one for her and her family”.
“In respect of the events post the incident, the accused was very deeply shaken and she was thrown into an immediate panic,” said Mr Nair. “She is by nature a timorous person and her reaction was to get help immediately.”
He said her passengers alighted to check on the motorcyclist and his pillion rider, and her sister was the one who called the police.
“She didn’t render assistance immediately, but she also didn’t tamper with the SD card,” said the lawyer. “She went back to the scene to own up to the authorities.”
“After being told by her husband to do so?” pointed out the judge.
Mr Nair said it was after a series of discussions.
“All she did was pull over at the side of the road and remained there. There were ongoing conversations with her husband, but at no time did she intend to make out and evade her responsibilities,” said Mr Nair.
He added that Koh cooperated with the authorities and asked the investigation officer if she could give a get-well card to apologise to the victims and compensate them, but was advised not to contact them.
Mr Nair said he has “made contact” with the motorcyclist’s solicitors, and the pillion rider’s solicitors have filed a claim.
The consequences of this means that Koh will have to bear the costs without any insurance, said Mr Nair.
He added that the junction now has a red arrow that removes the discretion for a driver when executing the right turn.
He tried submitting that Koh’s alcohol level was low, but District Judge Salina Ishak interjected to say this was because she was only tested an hour later – “Of course it will go down!”
She allowed Koh to begin her jail term next week.
