BL’s wife brought up this request when I met her yesterday. I personally went to the site last night at around 8:30pm. I feel that there is no way for the claim “dashed out from the bushes”, because the Zebra Crossing was 5 meters closer to the driver than the bushes.
I tried to drive around and simulated the situation. When you right turn from Clementi to Common Wealth, you will firstly look at the left side (cars waiting since RED light), the front side (where the cars are coming to you), then latest the right side (the accident site).
It is possible that you will need to bit the yellow light to turn right, then you have to speed up (the right turn is very big and you can easily accelerate to 40KM for car). There is a big cement MRT pillar right next to the Zebra Crossing. It is very likely that when you see someone crossing but you don’t have time to break if your speed is too fast (it was drizzling) or the inertia is too big (truck for example). The accident happened in between the 2nd and 3rd lane - BL only had very few meters to get across.
I am not an investigator nor do I want to suggest that the driver is guilty. However, the families requested for a true explanation since now the newspaper reports sound like BL is the party that “doesn’t have the right of the road”.
Please note that the TP did put up the signboard for witness to contact them, but BL’s wife feels that ENG staffs/students might have a higher chance to witness this since it was 8:30pm and it was so close to NUS. So please let us help to pass around the number to our students/staffs, hoping that there was someone witnessing the accident.
If anybody happened to witness the accident, please call 1800-5471818.
Assistant Professor ZHOU ZhiYing, Steven :: Director, Interactive Multimedia Lab :: National University of Singapore :: Department of Electrical Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576:: 65-6516 3754 (DID) :: 65-6777 3117 (Fax) :: elezzy@nus.edu.sg (E) :: http://www.iml.org.sg (W) :: Company Registration No: 200604346E
I head the police briefing on 27Aug morning in General Hospital on what might possible happend and saw the news on StraitsTime http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_272763.html and ＜联合早报＞ http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp080828_505.shtml. I also visited the place. Same as his family I could not accept the testimony (e.g., the speed was only 20KM/h, and BL dashed out from the bushes) from the driver. I don't know how many hours the driver has drived that day to gave such statement. Together with the victim’s families, we would like to know the truth. If anybody happened to witness the accident, please call 1800-5471818.
