The men were in a BMW that crashed into a shophouse in Tanjong Pagar before exploding into flames, on Feb 13, 2021. - ST FILE
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The families of three men killed in a fiery crash in Tanjong Pagar in 2021, are seeking to claim about S$1.7 million from the estate of the last person behind the wheel.
The Straits Times has learnt that statements of claim by relatives of Eugene Yap Zheng Min, Teo Qi Xiang and Gary Wong Hong Chieh have been filed in the High Court.
On Feb 13, 2021, Yap, 29, Teo, 26, Wong, 29, and a fourth passenger, Elvin Tan Yong Hao, 28, were in a white BMW M4 driven by Jonathan Long Junwei, 29, which crashed into a shophouse before bursting into flames, killing all five men in the car.
The accident took place at about 5.40am along Tanjong Pagar Road.
Long’s fiancee – Raybe Oh Siew Huey, 26 – suffered severe burns in trying to rescue the people in the car.
The families of Yap, Wong and Teo filed their claims with the Singapore High Court on Nov 11, 2022. Letters of demand against the estate of the driver were already sent to Long’s mother, Chan Ngerng Pheng, 58, in 2021.
Chan, who is the adminstrator of her son’s estate, told ST she received the statements of claim on Nov 14. The vehicle insurer, AXA Singapore, was informed of the claims.
However, AXA – represented by K. Anparasan and Grace Tan of Whitefern LLC – had repudiated liability under the policy for any claims arising out of the accident in a Nov 4 letter to Chan.
This was after the coroner’s inquiry in June showed that Long had been driving under the influence of alcohol.
Under the Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, AXA is still obliged to pay the claimants following a judgment.
The insurer could then seek to recover the sums from the estate of the driver.
The three claimants are represented by Goh Choon Wah of Characterist LLC.
The mother of Yap, who was the front passenger, is seeking about $855,000 for loss of financial contributions from her son to the family.
In addition to the dependency claims for her and her husband, she is also seeking dependency claims on behalf of Yap’s younger brother Edmund.
The court document states that Edmund Yap, now 30, used to receive a sum of $500 a month, mostly in cash, from Yap.
Claims filed by Yap’s mother state that if Eugene Yap was alive, he would have continued to support his brother financially.
Other claims include funeral expenses and a damaged Rolex watch valued at about $23,656, which was worn by Yap at the time of the accident.
During the coroner’s inquiry, it was revealed that the group of friends had taken turns to drive Long’s newly purchased BMW around the Tanjong Pagar area.
Yap, who was the first to take the car for a ride early that morning, was later found to have a blood alcohol reading of 119mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. This exceeded the legal limit of 80mg per 100ml.
He was joined by two friends Park Se Jin and Phoo Yi Lin. Park and Phoo also took turns at the wheel.
Long, who was the fourth driver, had a blood alcohol reading of 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
Yap, Teo, whose blood alcohol reading was 162mg, Tan (128mg) and Wong (111mg) joined him in the car, even though the car had designated seats for the driver and only three passengers.
Long was speeding along Tanjong Pagar Road when the car skidded and mounted a kerb. It struck a pillar at an estimated speed of between 87kmh and 99kmh, resulting in the fatal crash.
Teo’s mother is seeking about $435,000, while Wong’s next-of-kin is seeking close to $400,000 including a lump sum of $24,000 for care and custody of Wong’s dog.
A spokesman for AXA Insurance said it is unable to comment on client or legal matters.
“We assess all claims according to the policy terms and conditions,” she added.
The five friends who died in the Tanjong Pagar crash
The family of Elvin Tan Yong Hao, who was among the five who died in the fiery Tanjong Pagar crash in February 2021, has sent a letter of demand to the estate of Mr Jonathan Long Junwei, the driver of the car.
Tan’s next-of-kin is seeking about $477,000 from the estate of Long, 29. They have not filed claims in the High Court.
Tan, who was the right rear-seat passenger that morning, died of severe burns.
The financial adviser, who was 28, was found to have a blood alcohol reading of 128mg per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80mg per 100ml of blood.
The white BMW M4 belonged to Long and he was the last person at the wheel when the car crashed and burst into flames.
Among the five who died, Long had the lowest blood alcohol reading of 86mg per 100ml of blood.
He was speeding between 110kmh and 148kmh before the crash. Long died of severe burns.
Yap was the first person to drive Long’s car. He was clocked at between 75kmh and 88kmh.
Yap was later found to have 119mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Mr Yap’s family has commenced legal proceedings and is seeking about $855,000 for loss of financial contributions from Yap to the family.
Yap died of severe burns.
Wong and Long had known each other during their time in secondary school. They were so close, their families arranged for their cremation niches to be next to each other.
Wong was found to have a blood alcohol reading of 111mg per 100ml of blood. He died of severe burns and pelvic injuries.
His body was identified through DNA. His family has commenced legal proceedings and is seeking about $400,000 from Long’s estate.
Teo was found to have the highest blood alcohol reading of 162mg per 100ml of blood. His family has commenced legal proceedings and is seeking about $435,000 from Long’s estate.
Teo died of severe burns and spinal injuries. His body was identified through DNA.
