It’s been a few days since the accident on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), but the horror of it all still casts a large shadow over the country.
After all, the accident was wholly unmerited. 53-year-old Lim Chai Heng drove his Mercedes against the flow of traffic (some netizens claimed he drove at 120km/h) in the morning rush-hour and caused a multi-vehicle crash that killed one man and left several injured.
Now warded at the National University Hospital for his own injuries, Lim was charged yesterday with causing death by reckless or dangerous driving, according to the police. If convicted, he will face up to five years in jail.
TODAY reports that he will be transferred to the Institute of Mental Health in the next few days, suggesting that a disorder may have played a part in Lim’s reckless drive on Monday morning. Eye-witnesses also reported that Lim was mumbling and talking to himself following the crash. Lim’s own son, who had been sitting in the front passenger seat of the car during the accident, noted to a witness that his father suffers from depression.
As for the man who died in the horrific collision, he has since been identified as 37-year-old media personality Liong Kuo Hwa, who has appeared in several local films, TV shows and commercials. He was said to be a jovial, pleasant and hardworking individual by members of the showbiz industry, and those who worked with him in the past were shocked to hear about his death.
His family has since collected his body from the mortuary, and will cremate him on Friday at Mandai Crematorium.
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