Singapore — A teenage couple died in a motorcycle crash at Jurong West on July 16, 2021, and the state coroner said on Jan 7 that the young man who drove the motorcycle had no licence to ride the vehicle and had borrowed it from someone else, who had in turn only rented the vehicle.
Moreover, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said he found it “likely” that Mr Rafie Sherman Abdullah Tan, 19, was inexperienced in riding the motorcycle, which may have contributed to him losing control while making a right turn on Jurong West Central 1 at about 3:40 pm on July 16 last year.
“This tragic case serves as a timely reminder of the importance of obtaining the requisite driving licence before operating vehicles on the road,” the coroner added.
Both Mr Tan and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Nor Ayuni Abdullah, sustained several injuries when they hit two trees after being thrown from the motorcycle, which hit a curb.
Ms Abdullah died around two hours after the mishap, and Mr Tan died on July 19, The Straits Times reports.
The couple worked at a warehouse in Jalan Buroh near Jurong Port Road and had been living with the mother of the teenage girl since April 2021.
ST quoted the mother of Ms Abdullah as saying that on the day of the accident, her daughter, and Mr Tan had been on a break from work, and hopped on the motorcycle to buy food.
The State Coroner said that a road traffic misadventure caused the deaths of the teenage pair, and added that even though police could not determine how fast Mr Tan was operating the motorcycle, there was no evidence that he was speeding.
Neither were there road conditions such as an oil spill, debris, or sand that could have led Mr Tan to lose control over the vehicle.
“From (closed-circuit television footage)… there was no encroachment by other vehicles travelling along that stretch of road as there were no vehicles seen travelling ahead or beside the motorcycle prior to the accident,” he said.
/TISG
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