Ferarri driver in Bugis Junction accident found not to be drunk

Text: Shah Salimat
Photo: Channel NewsAsia

Although suspicions have been raised, a toxicology report by the Health Sciences Authority revealed that no traces of alcohol or controlled substances were found in blood and urine samples of 31-year-old Ma Chi, a Chinese national, who died at the scene of accident when his Ferrari car crashed into a taxi on May 12.

The accident left the financial investor dead, as well as 52-year-old taxi driver Cheng Teck Hock and 41-year-old passenger Shigemi Ito. The taxi driver and passenger were pronounced dead in hospital.

Among those injured in the collision were 26-year-old motorcyclist Muhammad Najib Ghazali and Ma's passenger, student Wu Weiwei who is believed to be in her 20s. Footage of the collision at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street was captured on a camera mounted on the dashboard of a nearby taxi. A video of the footage has gotten more than a million views on video-sharing site YouTube.

Another accident on May 26 at the same junction prompted the Traffic Police to reiterate that they are in the process of digitising their enforcement cameras and reviewing penalties for traffic offences. The Land Transport Authority said it would synchronise the timings of the traffic lights in that junction as an "added precautionary measure".

The Traffic Police clarified that foreign drivers only need to pass the basic theory test to convert their driving licences if they stay in Singapore for more than 12 months. As of end 2011, out of 369,637 foreign drivers with converted licences, only 0.1 per cent of them contributed to traffic accidents.

Ma Chi leaves behind his 28-year-old wife He Tingting, who recently gave birth to another child, and his four-year-old daughter. She has publicly apologised for the accident days after it happened and expressed her concern towards the families of the taxi driver and Ma's female passenger.

According to local reports, the family is seeking insurance coverage from AXA Singapore. Police investigations are ongoing and a coroner's inquiry is expected to be held in due course.

HAVE YOUR SAY: What are your thoughts about this now that the report is out? What steps can be taken on the regulator and citizen sides to prevent such accidents from occurring again? Sign in and post your comments below.