Sy Yong Da, 26-year-old, was sentenced on 11 June to 6.5 years imprisonment and banned from driving for 10 years.
He pleaded guilty to 1 charge of dangerous driving causing death, 1 charge of failing to render assistance to the victim and 1 charge of obstructing justice by sending his car for repairs.
Sy had gone drinking at night and drove his car hours later while still intoxicated and feeling sleepy, he then crashed his car into a 40-year-old woman.
Sy then fled the scene and had his car towed to a workshop for repairs but the car was recovered by the police before work could begin.
What happened?
On the night of 6 December 2019, Sy went drinking with some friends at Icon Pub at Balmoral Plaza, he drank about 9 small glasses of beer mixed with cognac.
The group then finished drinking at about 2.30am the next day and Sy took a cab home with his female friend.
The two then rested for a while before he drove them to a McDonald’s outlet at Ang Mo Kio for supper before he decided to send her home.
After sending her home, he drove back to his own place while still drunk and feeling very tired and sleepy.
He was driving along Farrer Road towards Queensway at about 6.04am when he lost control of his vehicle after reportedly dozing off at the wheel.
The speed limit was 70km/hr and Sy was driving at 78 to 81km/hr at the time.
He swerved his car from the 2nd lane to the 4th lane, mounting a kerb before crashing into a woman who was walking home from the market in the sheltered walkway.
The victim was thrown into a pillar from the impact and fell onto the ground.
Sy immediately drove back onto the road and fled the scene without helping the victim, with the entire incident captured on a LTA CCTV.
Sy then reached home and searched for a towing service online, before calling one.
His car was then towed to a workshop at about 7.30am, at Sin Ming Drive.
Sy then woke his mother up and told her he got into an accident, and his mother then told him to take the car to another workshop where she could help him get a discount, to which he complied.
Sy then handed his car keys to the workshop worker and returned home to sleep.
5 investigation officers were working to track Sy down, establishing that they were tracking a lexus driver after examining parts of the car that fell off at the scene, including a broken license plate holder.
They spoke to a security guard at Sy’s condominium who said that he didn’t see a silver Lexus, but he later recalled seeing one being towed out of the complex.
The officers then confronted Sy at his home, where he then admitted his crimes.
At the workshop, the owner decided not to proceed with the car repairs as Sy didn’t give him a police report about the accident.
The officers noticed that Sy still smelled like alcohol but because more than 12 hours had passed since the accident, his breathalyser test was passed.
Sy will begin serving his jail sentence on 22 June and he is currently out on bail.
Images source: Google Maps and Prestige Autos (Top image of Lexus used strictly for illustration purposes only)