Over 12 years’ jail for driver who caused fatal Tampines crash in 2024

SINGAPORE – The driver who caused a fatal chain collision in Tampines in 2024 that killed two people was sentenced to 12 years and nine months’ jail on Oct 5.

Muhammad Syafie Ismail, 45, whose actions injured eight others, including two 11-year-old boys, was also banned from driving for life.

A junior college student and a 57-year-old woman died in the crash.

Syafie had pleaded guilty in August to three charges of dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing grievous hurt and dangerous driving causing hurt.

As the sentence was meted out on Oct 5, Syafie kept his head down in the dock.

When he arrived for his sentencing, he was asked by The Straits Times outside the State Courts building if he had anything to say to the victims’ families. He did not respond.

In sentencing Syafie, Principal District Judge Toh Han Li said the jail term imposed was commensurate with the offences Syafie committed, and was not crushing on him.

As a result of what he did, two innocent lives were lost, eight others were injured, and families were irreversibly affected, said the judge.

Family members of both Syafie and the student were present in the gallery during the hearing.

The crash

On April 22, 2024, Syafie had finished working the night shift as an operations manager at a global manufacturing firm and later dropped off a GrabHitch passenger in Bedok at around 6.15am.

He dangerously overtook a car along Bedok Reservoir Road. His vehicle then collided with another car, causing it to veer left and almost hit a motorcyclist.

Syafie drove off towards the junction at between 129kmh and 134kmh. The speed limit there was 50kmh.

He ran the red light, which had been red for at least 26 seconds, and rammed into three vehicles, causing a chain collision.

A video of the accident posted on social media showed a black car speeding past at least three vehicles before it caused a crash involving five other vehicles, including a van.

The accident killed Norzihan Juwahib, 57, and the 17-year-old student, who cannot be identified due to a gag order imposed on all victims below 18.

Norzihan was a passenger in the van on her way to work. She was a senior technician at a pest control firm and had worked there for about 10 years.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on Norzihan at the scene, but she died in hospital from multiple injuries, including fractures to her neck and ribs.

The student was a passenger in a car on the way to take part in her school’s annual cross-country event. Her father was driving when the collision caused the car to turn turtle with its doors flung open.

The student was trapped under another car, while her father lost consciousness.

When he woke up in hospital, he was told she had died, and broke down. He was later taken to another room to hold her hand.

He had suffered rib fractures and was given 191 days of hospitalisation leave.

The prosecutor, citing a victim impact statement by the girl’s mother, said the woman had been struggling with major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The chain collision also injured eight others. One of the victims suffered rib fractures, while another sustained a head injury.

After the crash, Syafie stayed in the driver’s seat until a bystander helped him to the roadside. Syafie sustained fractures to his arm and rib, but has no permanent disability.

He was arrested two days after the crash after being discharged from hospital. His driving licence was immediately suspended.

Girl’s father blamed himself

Urging the court to impose a sentence of between 12 years and nine months’, and 13½ years’ jail, the prosecutor previously told the court that the harm Syafie caused was undeniably severe.

The prosecutor said the student’s father blamed himself daily for what had happened, while her mother had to see a clinical psychologist as she felt life was meaningless.

Defence lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya of Regent Law had sought a sentence of between seven years and six months, and eight years’ jail for his client. He agreed on a lifetime driving ban.

Noting that Syafie’s actions were due to a lapse in judgment, Kalaithasan said: “This is a scar that will remain with him for the rest of his life.”

Those convicted of dangerous driving causing death can be jailed for up to eight years and disqualified from driving.