Founding member of JUMBO group, 88, fined over accident that killed 72-year-old passenger

SINGAPORE: The founding member of seafood restaurant chain JUMBO group and the chairman of Teochew association Teo Ann Huay Kuan was fined S$14,000 (US$10,900) and banned from driving for eight years on Friday (Sep 27).

This was over a car accident in November 2022 that killed his 72-year-old front passenger and injured another passenger, now aged 76.

Ng Siak Hai, 88, pleaded guilty to two charges of driving without due care and attention, causing death and grievous hurt.

Ng is well-known in the local restaurant scene and founded Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh, remaining its face despite retiring in 2010.

He was good friends with his two passengers, 72-year-old Ng Thit Hung and 76-year-old Tan Seck Soon, with the three elderly men all part of Teo Ann Huay Kuan.

WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY

At around 6.30pm on Nov 1, 2022, the trio left their association’s headquarters in Geylang with the offender at the wheel.

Mr Ng was in the front passenger seat and Mr Tan in the back. 

They were headed towards Orchard Hotel for food tasting for their association’s 58th anniversary dinner, which was to be held on Nov 12, 2022.

The two men in front fastened their seatbelts. Mr Tan fell asleep in the back shortly after getting into the car.

While the offender was driving his blue Mercedes-Benz along the Central Expressway, he started to feel light-headed.

Deciding to exit onto Bukit Timah Road to drive at a slower speed, he went along Nassim Road towards Tanglin Road.

As he was making a left bend along the single-laned two-way road, he lost control of the car and veered to the left.

The car collided with a tree on the left side of the road and overturned on its right. The impact crumpled the front of the car, broke windscreens, punctured the front wheel and dented the front left passenger door.

The three men were trapped inside the car until the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers arrived.

They freed the men by cutting off the roof of the car. The late Mr Ng was found without a pulse, while the other two men were conscious.

They were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital but Mr Ng remained in pulseless cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead that night.

An autopsy found his final cause of death to be “ischaemic heart disease with abdominal injury”, with injuries sustained from a road traffic accident.

Mr Tan suffered bruising and a small laceration on his head, along with knee abrasions and an injury to the muscle tissue of the heart. 

He was warded for nine days and given hospitalisation leave, with his injury classified as grievous hurt.

The offender himself suffered a bruised chest and was warded for a few days.

While he was known to have diabetes and other medical conditions at the time, it was not possible to determine if he had hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar at the time of the accident, the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor sought the maximum fines for each of Ng’s offences – S$10,000 and S$5,000 respectively, along with the mandatory driving ban.

Defence lawyers Choo Si Sen and Choo Yean Lin asked for fines that are “slightly lower than maximum” instead, of S$8,000 and S$3,000 respectively.

Mr Choo said Ng has just turned 88 and is “semi-retired”, working as a consultant for Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh. 

He cited the fine of S$8,000 as he said Ng earns S$8,000 a month.

In his mitigation plea, the lawyer listed Ng’s medical conditions, which include diabetes, hypertension and chronic renal disease.

He requires kidney dialysis three times a week, lasting four hours each time.

“As soon as he heard Ng Thit Hung had passed on … he attended the funeral … together with his family,” said Mr Choo.

He attended the funeral wake a second time with the members of Teo Ann Huay Kuan to “pay their last respects to the deceased to demonstrate his very sincere and genuine remorse”, said Mr Choo.

“It was fortuitous and, in fact, a miraculous escape for the accused to emerge unhurt from this tragic accident,” said the veteran lawyer.

He said the octogenarian was a pioneer citizen who committed the offence due to his momentary lapse of concentration and loss of control.

In sentencing, District Judge Salina Ishak reminded Ng not to drive under court disqualification.

Mr Choo replied: “He (has) disqualified himself from driving.”

For driving without due care and attention, causing death, Ng could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

For driving without due care and attention, causing grievous hurt, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.