Man fined for crash that killed his daughter

A man whose driving resulted in the death of his 11/2-year-old daughter was fined $800 and banned from driving for three months yesterday.

Alfred Ng Hon Lum, 30, was driving along the Central Expressway (CTE) at the slip road to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 on Sept 22 last year when he crashed into the back of a stationary SBS Transit bus which had its hazard lights on.

His daughter, who had been treated at KK Women's and Children's Hospital earlier, died three days later.

Ng, whose occupation was not known, pleaded guilty to driving without reasonable consideration, which is punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 and/or a jail term of up to six months.

A traffic court heard that Ng was heading home with his wife and daughter that morning, after his child was treated at KK hospital.

He was driving his Nissan Latio on the extreme left of the four-lane CTE towards Seletar Expressway.

As he approached the slip road to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, he failed to keep a proper lookout ahead and rammed into the back of the bus driven by Li He Zuo.

His wife was then in the front passenger seat and holding her daughter, who was unwell.

Investigations showed that Mr Li had driven the off-service bus out of the Bishan bus depot and was supposed to go to a bus stop along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.

When Mr Li entered the slip road, he switched on the hazard lights and stopped at the extreme left to change the service number. He stopped for a few minutes and was about to move off when the collision occurred.

The toddler was taken to KK hospital with head injuries, as well as fractures on her right thigh bone and skull. She was unconscious upon arriving at the hospital and later put on life support.

Describing the case as "exceptionally tragic", Ng's lawyer, Anand Nalachandran, said his client's daughter had a fever and was treated in the hospital. They were on their way home when the accident occurred.

"Ironically and tragically, he was concerned over his wife who was pregnant with their second child, as well as his daughter who was sick. This compromised his concentration," the lawyer said.

Despite his own injuries, Ng later made a very difficult decision to discontinue life support for the toddler, said the lawyer.

Ng was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, which was not a surprise considering the circumstances which would be unimaginable for any parent, he added.

Get MyPaper for more stories.