He was looking forward to having dinner with his colleague at Leisure Park Kallang last Saturday.
But as Mr Teong Hien Sing turned and drove his Toyota Altis into the open-space carpark near Stadium Road, a shock awaited him.
A speeding Nissan GT-R slammed into the front right side of his car, shattering a headlight and causing the vehicle to spin nearly 180 degrees.
A video of the crash has since gone viral on the Internet. At road safety community site Beh Chia Lor, the video has garnered more than 379,000 views as of yesterday evening. The video was also a hit on citizen website Stomp.
CRASH: A video of the accident has gone viral. It shows the Toyota Altis (on left) being rammed by a speeding Nissan GT-R in the carpark near Leisure Park Kallang. PHOTOS: INTERNET/ BEH CHIA LOR
The crash left Mr Teong, a contractor, with injuries to his ribs. His passenger, Mr Islam Rafiq, 30, escaped serious injuries.
A shaken Mr Teong, 65, told The New Paper (TNP) at the accident site that evening: “If it had been a second later, he would have hit me in the driver’s seat.
“It could have been much worse.”
The crash, however, left both vehicles seriously damaged.
Other than a shattered headlight, the front of Mr Teong’s Toyota was badly dented, while the front bumper of the GT-R got dislodged and its bonnet was left in a crumpled mess.
Mr Teong says the whole incident happened so fast and he did not have time to react as his car spun out of control from the impact.
“The GT-R was going very fast and I was so shocked. By the time I realised what happened my car had been hit and had stopped spinning,” said Mr Teong.
On Saturday, when TNP first spoke to the alleged driver of the GT-R, Mr Herman Shi Ximu, 18, a full-time national serviceman, he denied being behind the wheel.
But when contacted on the phone yesterday, he said he was “fully responsible”.
He added that the accident was due to his unfamiliarity with the car, which he says he owns.
“The car I was driving accidentally switched to manual. My unfamiliarity with the powerful manual setting caused me to speed,” said Mr Herman.
The GT-R is equipped with both automatic and manual transmissions. The top speed for the car is around 307kmh and it is able to go from zero to around 96kmh in 2.9 seconds.
PRICEY CAR
On sgCarMart, the car retails for $448,800.
Mr Herman, who told TNP that he got his driving licence four months ago, said that he is used to driving the car on automatic transmission.
“I’m a good driver. My theory test and practical driving tests, I passed them all in one shot,” he added.
When TNP asked Mr Herman if he was racing in the carpark that evening, he repeatedly denied doing so. He explained he was ferrying photographers from one side of the carpark to another. TNP understands that the photographers were there to shoot a gathering of sports cars.
It is not known if Mr Herman’s car was part of this event.
On Monday, the police posted a statement on Facebook saying an 18-year-old man had been arrested on Monday for his suspected involvement in a case of dangerous driving and taking part in an unauthorised speed trial.
His driving licence was suspended with immediate effect.
TNP understands that the man in question is Mr Herman.
Motorists found guilty of taking part in an unauthorised speed trial can be jailed up to six months, and fined between $1,000 and $2,000 for the first offence.
On subsequent convictions, they can be jailed up to a year, and fined between $2,000 and $3,000. Vehicles involved may be forfeited.
For the offence of dangerous driving, convicted motorists are liable to a fine of up to $3,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both. A fine of up to $5,000 and/or jail for up to two years applies for repeat offenders.
“The Traffic Police takes a stern view on such dangerous road behaviour as it puts the lives of the drivers and other road users at risk,” the police said.
Correction note: An earlier version of this storystated that an 18-year-old man had been arrested on Saturday. This is incorrect. He was arrested on Monday.
This article was first published on Aug 31, 2016.
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