SINGAPORE: A driver involved in a chain collision in Tampines that killed two people and injured several others is expected to plead guilty on 23 October.
Muhammad Syafie Ismail, 44, had his plea date fixed after a pre-trial conference on Thursday (31 July), following several earlier conferences.
Syafie faces five charges under the Road Traffic Act for the incident, which took place in April last year at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4.
The charges include dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing hurt, and failing to stop after an accident.
He was first charged on 25 April 2024 with four offences: dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing hurt, dangerous driving, and failing to stop after an accident.
On 9 June 2025, an additional charge was added for dangerous driving causing grievous hurt to two motorists — van driver Chia Tong Chai, 65, and car driver Muhammad Azril Mahmood, 49.
According to court documents, Syafie allegedly drove recklessly along Bedok Reservoir Road towards Tampines Avenue 4 shortly after 7am on 22 April 2024.
He is said to have abruptly changed lanes to overtake another vehicle, resulting in a sideswipe collision that caused a car to veer left and scrape its tyres against the kerb.
Syafie allegedly failed to stop and provide his particulars.
He then reportedly ran a red light and collided with three cars, triggering a series of crashes that involved a van and a minibus.
The collision resulted in two fatalities: 17-year-old Temasek Junior College student Afifah Munirah Muhammad Azril and 57-year-old Norzihan Juwahib, a van passenger who worked for a pest control company.
Several others were injured, including an 11-year-old boy in one of the cars and another boy on the minibus.
Court records show that Syafie is represented by lawyers from Regent Law.
If convicted of dangerous driving causing death, he faces between two and eight years’ imprisonment and disqualification from driving all classes of vehicles.
For dangerous driving causing hurt, the maximum penalty is a fine of up to S$10,000 (US$7,700), a jail term of up to two years, or both, along with disqualification from driving.
Dangerous driving carries a maximum fine of S$5,000, up to 12 months’ jail, or both.
Failing to stop after an accident is punishable by a fine of up to S$1,000, up to three months’ imprisonment, or both.
Apart from the criminal proceedings, Syafie is also facing two civil suits for negligence arising from motor accidents.
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