As 37-year-old Jackie Liong Kuo Hwa lay trapped in his Toyota Vios, his wife who was pinned down next to him injured and weak could only watch as the life slowly out of him.
This tragic incident unfolded yesterday morning at around 8am on the AYE.
The car the couple were in crashed into a Mercedes that was driving in the wrong direction of traffic.
The driver of the Mercedes escaped the incident dazed and confused, but almost unhurt.
Speaking about the Liongs, a cousin of Mrs Liong said
“They were married for 8 years and were very loving. Without fail, he would send my cousin to work. Even when she had to work overtime, he would still wait for her and pick her up.”
As she lay in Vios, Mrs Liong mustered the strength to reach for her handphone and call for help.
She first called her sister in Australia to inform her of what had happened, then her brother in the United States.
It was her sister who subsequently broke the news to their mother.
When SCDF officers extricated Mr Liong from the crushed Vios, they pronounced him dead at the scene.
Another car, a bus and a motorcycle were involved in the crash, and 4 people including Mrs Liong had to be sent to hospital for treatment.
An eyewitness said he saw the driver of the Mercedes sitting down and talking to himself after the crash.
He said the passenger in the Mercedes, a man who identified himself as the driver’s son, apologised and said his father was depressed.
When his son tried to calm him down, the driver reportedly shouted at him.
Describing the crash, the eyewitness said he swerved to the left-most lane of the AYE to avoid the Mercedes, which was driving in the opposite direction of traffic on the right-most lane.
Through his side-mirror, he said a Mazda swerved to avoid hitting the Mercedes and smashed into a bus.
He said the Toyota Vios which Mr Liong was driving couldn’t avoid the Mercedes and crashed head-on into it.
The Toyota skidded across 2 lanes and hit the left wall of the expressway.
Still, the Mercedes didn’t stop.
It hit a motorcycle, sending both its passengers flying, before crashing into the wall of the expressway and coming to a stop.
Police have arrested the Mercedes driver, a 53-year-old man, on the charge of causing death by rash act, and are investigating the incident.
