Mercedes crashes into Sg river

[Watwheels]

Looks like step too much on the gas, when going up the ramp of the exit. Went straight thru the bush and railing. 

 

 

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/car-plunges-into-alexandra-canal-relatives-struggle-to-make-sense-of-accident

 

 

I think it's the hump right at the edge of the exit. A poor design.  At that angle of the ramp and the weight of the car the driver could be struggling if she let the car creep on Drive mode. I think it's likely the car roll backwards momentarily when it struggled to overcome the high road hump dan the female driver panic and jab the throttle....the rest is history.

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Watwheels

[Yewheng]

I read that he viewed the CCTV and saw that the brake lights were on.

Oh no, brake malfunction? Haiz.. that's bad..

[Jman888]

I think it's the hump right at the edge of the exit. A poor design. At that angle of the ramp and the weight of the car the driver could be struggling if she let the car creep on Drive mode. I think it's likely the car roll backwards momentarily when it struggled to overcome the high road hump dan the female driver panic and jab the throttle....the rest is history.

 

the hump is common for down slop to prevent car from rolling down and hit the on coming traffic.

[Roh96]

think the lamp post has been replaced ... still got plastic wrapping.

 

how it went thru the bushes is puzzling ... did not see any tyre marks or scratch marks on the kerb in the video.

 

A careful look at the pic again(where the 2 tow trucks hoisted up the car), the lamp post was there (behind the man in red shirt).

 

The car missed the lamp post, missed the mirror post, missed the tree, missed the bushes. Really strange.

 

Nevertheless, may the mother n daughter rest in peace. And deepest condolences to the husband and family.

[Blueray]

A careful look at the pic again(where the 2 tow trucks hoisted up the car), the lamp post was there (behind the man in red shirt).

 

The car missed the lamp post, missed the mirror post, missed the tree, missed the bushes. Really strange.

 

Nevertheless, may the mother n daughter rest in peace. And deepest condolences to the husband and family.

 

oic ....

 

and the E class is a pretty heavy car, don't see how it can be "launched" over such a short distance.

 

no impact on the kerbs and the bushes ... that's really puzzling.

[Roh96]

The concrete wall along the road should extend all the way to cover the exit/entrance of the mall.

 

Very likely she might have accidentally stepped on the gas pedal at full throttle while exiting the ramp.

 

That is a common habit of drivers when we exit a ramp. We would step on the gas pedal harder the moment we let go the brake pedal otherwise the car will roll back (modern cars have hill assist function now).

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Roh96

[Watwheels]

the hump is common for down slop to prevent car from rolling down and hit the on coming traffic.

 

Those small metal hump is alright. But the big concrete hump is challenging especially for sedans or cars with low ride height.

[Weez911]

As we can see from the illustration, the distance between the carpark and the canal is very short. There is no way a heavy E250 can accelerate so fast within 5 to 10 meters, hit the ramp and fly straight to the canal.

[Nzy]

oic ....

 

and the E class is a pretty heavy car, don't see how it can be "launched" over such a short distance.

 

no impact on the kerbs and the bushes ... that's really puzzling.

 

I thought newspaper report say bushes were flattened?

[Blueray]

I thought newspaper report say bushes were flattened?

 

the bushes in the video looked unscathed.

[Nzy]

 

To be honest, I think winding down or breaking windows seem good idea, but waiting for pressure to equalise is not...

 

Reason being there will be a long time lapse at the last few % (say 90-100%) before equalising.

 

R.I.P.

 

 

I remember watching mythbusters and it seems like winding down the windows also difficult, the pressure might cause the windows to be stuck and the motor won't have enough power to wind it down. 

[Beehive3783]

The lamp post is new.

 

Other than that, it's damn spooky man.

 

In such a short distance, the car must have been going at a very high speed to clear the bushes.

 

I would say it's quite impossible for the average driver to do, even if it's a fluke.

 

 

Having seen the video. I am flabbergasted. How did the car avoid the bushes, tree and pole?

 

Who would risk damaging their car to try your suggestion? I know I wouldn't.

 

 

I believe many would mistaken the gas as the brake pedal in the state of panic.

That's why I asked if would cutting the engine off, akin to pressing a panic button help?

Anyone with start/stop button feature care to try?

Please do so in a controlled safe environment.

 

[Icedbs]

A careful look at the pic again(where the 2 tow trucks hoisted up the car), the lamp post was there (behind the man in red shirt).

 

The car missed the lamp post, missed the mirror post, missed the tree, missed the bushes. Really strange.

 

Nevertheless, may the mother n daughter rest in peace. And deepest condolences to the husband and family.

 

It also misses the concrete pillar next to the tree.

 

 it is really spooky that the car missed the thick concrete pillar, the tree and the mirror post.

 

The only "place" to go through the bushes is between the tree and the mirror post. It's a narrow width, but could be possible to squeeze through. A close study of the bushes there (from the video) shows that the front short plant was bended. So perhaps the car hit the kerb and "launched" above the bushes just right in between the tree and the mirror post.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Icedbs

[BanCoe]

The lamp post is new.

 

Other than that, it's damn spooky man.

 

In such a short distance, the car must have been going at a very high speed to clear the bushes.

 

I would say it's quite impossible for the average driver to do, even if it's a fluke.

 

 

 

Who would risk damaging their car to try your suggestion? I know I wouldn't.

To have mounted over the kerbs would have already slowed the car down and even burst the tyres / broken the rims and must be at full throttle to have achieved that kind of speed; Looks like a case of wrong pedal pressed whilst driving   

[Mockngbrd]

Oh no, brake malfunction? Haiz.. that's bad..

brake when throttle is down, the brake will lose. 

[Kar_lover]

I wonder if in the unfortunate event whereby the gas pedal is stuck...would it work to stall the car by turning the engine off?

 

If so, driving school would have to incorporate that into the syllabus.

 

If car is using those push button start stop, i believe car in motion you press the button also won't off the engine. Ironically that's a safety precaution.

[RadX]

MAN WHOSE WIFE, DAUGHTER DIED IN ALEXANDRA CANAL RECOUNTS HOURS BEFORE ACCIDENT

MAN WHOSE WIFE AND DAUGHTER DIED IN ALEXANDRA CANAL ACCIDENT: 'A STUPID ACCIDENT THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED'

 

Jan 26, 2016 6:00am

BY FOO JIE YING

 

His wife survived an operation for a benign brain tumour five years ago. His daughter recovered from tuberculosis four years ago.

On Sunday night, in one devastating blow, both were killed.

It was, said Mr Robin Poon, 50, a "stupid accident" that should not have happened.

His wife, Madam Cecilia Yep Lay Choo, 51, and their only child, Kimberly, 22, died when their Mercedes E250 plunged into Alexandra Canal.

"(On Sunday night), I couldn't cry because I just couldn't get myself to accept the fact that the two hours (I left them alone) made so much difference.

• Two women died after their car plunges into the Alexandra Canal
  
• Two women died after their car plunges into the Alexandra Canal
  
• Two women died after their car plunges into the Alexandra Canal
  

 

 

"Only today, I saw that it's a reality. No more miracles already," he told The New Paper yesterday, referring to his wife's and daughter's earlier health scares.

"I feel so lost," a visibly distraught Mr Poon added, in between making funeral arrangements for his wife and daughter.

Madam Yep, who was in the logistics and transportation industry, was behind the wheel when the tragedy occurred.

"It's really ridiculous because, with my wife's driving skills, this kind of thing should not have happened," said Mr Poon.

The car workshop owner recalled the series of events before the tragedy.

LUNCH

The family had lunch at Hotel Vagabond at Syed Alwi Road, followed by a foot massage, before they parted ways.

Madam Yep and Kimberly drove off to continue shopping while Mr Poon met his friends for dinner in another car.

"It's so sudden. I left them for dinner at about 6pm, and then the next minute..." he said, his voice trailing off.

"I just can't accept the fact that they were there (lying on the ground, dead)," he said.

When the police called him about the accident, he tried to prepare himself mentally for what was to come.

"I asked (the police) how bad, but they just told me to go down as soon as possible...

"I immediately tried to call my daughter and wife. But both phones were turned off. I immediately knew something was really wrong."

That night, Mr Poon could not sleep.

"I spent the whole night thinking about what had happened," he said.

He revealed that the family of three had planned a short trip to Macau over the Chinese New Year holiday.

Such family holidays are a rarity, partly because of Madam Yep's busy schedule.

"She's a super hardworking wife... She can't stop working," Mr Poon said.

As a result, the semi-retiree often travels alone. Sometimes, his "only princess" Kimberly tags along.

"She has common interests with me. I can even go on a Bangkok shopping trip with my daughter, just the two of us.

"We just go cafe-hopping and shopping. She knows I like desserts, so she would go and check (on a list of places to go to)," said Mr Poon wistfully.

He added that Kimberly was a nice and simple girl who bore no grudges.

"All her cousins love her because she bears no grudges. One of her cousins studying in Oxford is flying back from the UK tonight," Mr Poon said.

The wake is at Block 414, Woodlands Street 41, and the funeral will be held on Thursday. .

As for Mr Poon's plans after the funeral, all he said was: "I really don't know. I've got no direction at all."

Wife was skilled driver of 20 years

For the past 24 hours, Mr Robin Poon, 50, has been racking his brain for answers.

What could have caused the accident that killed his wife, Madam Cecilia Yep Lay Choo, 51, and their only child, Kimberly, 22?

How could it happen when his wife was such a skilled and experienced driver?

How could it happen when the car was in tip-top condition?

Madam Yep's silver Mercedes E250 convertible had plunged into the Alexandra Canal through a gap between a lamp post and a blindspot mirror.

Mr Poon, a car workshop owner, is confident that the three-year-old car had no mechanical fault.

"I drove the car when we went out for lunch and nothing happened," he said.

Mr Poon, who has been in the car repair business for 30 years, added: "My entire family is very much into cars. Even my wife is very interested. We are always very sensitive (to cars) and our car maintenance is always tip-top."

And he does not doubt his wife's driving skills, given her driving experience of more than 20 years.

"My wife, she's fantastic. She can even drive a lorry... She has never had an accident before."

Madam Yep works in the logistics and transportation industry.

She had been driving the Mercedes E250 on and off since the family bought it three years ago, but only started driving it regularly in recent months.

"I really don't see any reason (that the accident could have happened)," Mr Poon said.

At one point, he even suspected foul play, he confessed. But the police later told him they had ruled it out, he said.

"I think it's some 'forces' at work. It's still a mystery.

"I just want to know what actually happened, but nobody can help us," he said with an air of resignation.

[Mockngbrd]

RIP      

i actually drove past Valley point the afternoon before the accident happened. i remember because i was at a traffic light and i turned my head intentionally just to look at the building's name, stared inside to see the shops and thought it looked like a boring shopping center.... hours later go home see this thread created....

Edited January 26, 2016 by Mockngbrd