'Fire' in CTE tunnel on Sunday morning

SINGAPORE - A chain collision between three vehicles travelling in the Central Expressway (CTE) tunnel during the evening peak hours led to a spill of toxic chemicals, a car being engulfed in flames, as well as mass casualties arising from the chain collision.

This was the scenario of the joint emergency exercise conducted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in the CTE tunnel early on Sunday morning.

About 200 LTA and SCDF officers took part in the exercise which tested inter-agency readiness in managing a fire situation in the CTE tunnel.

LTA and SCDF carry out joint exercises in road tunnels at least once every year. The last CTE tunnel exercise was conducted in June 2009.

If a fire occurs within the road tunnels, emergency services such as the SCDF, Police, LTA Traffic Marshals and EMAS crew will be activated to manage the fire, assist motorists to evacuate, as well as to implement the tunnel closure and traffic diversion.

The operators at the LTA Operations Control Centre (OCC) will activate the ventilation system to push the smoke downstream out of the tunnel and raise the tunnel lighting level to maximum brightness.

They will also broadcast tunnel closure messages advising motorists to avoid the area through various channels such as radio break-in, LTA traffic news, Twitter and on EMAS signs.

Should motorists encounter a fire or other emergencies while travelling in the tunnel, they can dial 995 for SCDF’s assistance.

They can also tune in to the local radio channels to listen to the LTA emergency announcements and instructions.

 They should stop their vehicles if red crosses are lit on the overhead lane use signs, stay calm, turn off their vehicle engines and leave their vehicle for the nearest escape staircase or cross passage doors to evacuate the tunnel.

Car carrying NTU students crashes into canal after collision

SINGAPORE - A car carrying three male students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) had crashed into the canal at the junction of Nanyang Crescent and Nanyang Avenue after a collision with another car yesterday.

The accident took place shortly after noon, during which heavy rains swept through most of Singapore.

After crashing through some railings into the canal, the car was then dragged by strong currents for more than 50m.

A NTU spokesperson told citizen journalism website Stomp that two students were unhurt while the third had slight injuries.

Investigations are ongoing.

Maid saves toddler from more hurt in Hillview accident

SINGAPORE - Hit by a car, she was thrown 3m by the impact and landed hard on the road.
 
Despite this, she clung on to the toddler for dear life and refused to let go.

Until she herself blacked out.

Thanks to the maid's heroic action, the 22-month-old toddler, Cienna, escaped with just abrasions.

The maid, Mrs Jeanilyn Quijano, 43, a Filipino, was not as lucky. She had to be hospitalised for head, arm and leg injuries.

The toddler's mother, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Chen, was very grateful to her maid of three years.

"It was only because of her that my girl was only hurt like this," she said.

The New Paper had reported the accident on our front page on Wednesday.

The accident happened on Tuesday at about 4.30pm.

Stepped out and... 

Mrs Quijano was taking Cienna home after school and crossing Hillview Avenue outside her employers' condominium The Petals.

She was carrying the toddler and had just stepped onto the low concrete road divider when a silver Mercedes-Benz hit her in the back, she told TNP from her hospital bed at the National University Hospital, where she is warded.

She said that the car's right side-view mirror had hit her back, causing her to fall backwards onto the windshield of the car.

When the car braked, she flew 3m onto the road, but held on to the child until she blacked out.

"I hit the car's windscreen and blacked out for a while," said the maid.

When Mrs Quijano awoke, she immediately thought of the toddler who was no longer with her.

"My first thought was, 'Where's the baby?'" she said.

"I wanted to get up, but people told me not to move."

So she lay on the road helplessly, even though she could hear Cienna crying loudly about 3m away.

An ambulance arrived and took both the maid and the toddler to the hospital.

Mrs Quijano was hospitalised, but Cienna was given outpatient treatment.

The accident has traumatised the toddler.

Said Mrs Chen: "My girl has been crying the whole night. She cannot be left alone and doesn't eat a lot. She is not as lively as before."

Mrs Chen and a few family members have taken leave from work to look after Cienna.

"She wants us to carry her all the time. Which is what we have been doing since last night," she said.

The family visited the maid in hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Are you in pain? 

"My heart was in pain when I saw the baby," said Mrs Quijano, referring to Cienna's abrasions.

"She stroked my hand and kept asking me, 'pain?'"

She added that Mrs Chen's six-year-old son had also cried when he saw her at the hospital. Mrs Chen has another son, aged three.

Mrs Quijano was visibly tired and told TNP that she had slept very little on Tuesday night because she kept crying.

"I cannot sleep," said the maid, who has been looking after the toddler since birth.

"I blame myself (for the accident), last night I kept crying."

The driver of the car, Mr Chua, who is in his 30s, had previously told TNP that the maid had been on the phone and had dashed across the road when the accident happened.

But Mrs Chen adamantly holds that this is not true.

She said that she had spoken to the security guard of The Petals, who had witnessed the accident.

Mrs Quijano also said that she had not been on the phone.

Said Mrs Chen: "She has worked for us for three years, we know her very well. She will not dash across the road."

Car crash sends baby flying across road divider

SINGAPORE - The impact from the crash was so great that it cracked the car's windscreen.

It also sent the baby flying across the road divider, landing almost 3m away on the other side of the road.

Miraculously, the little girl survived, with only minor injuries.

The maid who was carrying her also lived. But she had to be hospitalised for what is believed to be injuries to her head and spine.

The accident happened at about 4.30pm yesterday.

The car, a silver Mercedes-Benz, hit the maid as she was crossing the road at Hillview Avenue, at Bukit Batok.

The maid had been crossing from a bus stop to the divider in the middle of the road. It is believed she was heading towards the condominium less than 10m away.

Both the maid and the baby were flung into the air by the impact. They landed a distance from each other on the road.

Crying

Witness said the baby was left crying.

A small pool of blood could still be seen on the road when The New Paper visited the scene an hour later.

The car driver, a man in his 30s, said that the maid was carrying the baby while talking on the phone as she was crossing the road.

"She dashed across the road suddenly," said the man, who works in the food and beverage line and wanted to be known only as Mr Chua.

"There were few cars on the road at that time."

Mr Chua added that he had slammed on the brakes, but could not stop in time.

He added that the woman and the baby were conscious after the accident.

"The child was okay.The woman was bleeding slightly," he said.

The impact of the collision left his car with a cracked windshield and a dent on his car's bonnet.

A resident of a nearby condominium called the TNP hotline about the accident.

The woman, who wanted to be known only as Esther, said she was in her apartment when she heard a loud bang.

"I thought it was two cars colliding, but then I looked out the window and saw a woman and a baby lying on the road," she said.

The baby and the woman were some distance apart.

"I saw some residents of the condo and some drivers who stopped their cars to help," said Esther.

"But no one dared to lift the baby or move her."

Security guards from a nearby condominium said the baby was crying, and the maid was conscious but unable to get up on her own.

An ambulance arrived soon after.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said the SCDF received a call at 4.47pm about an accident at 95 Hillview Avenue,The Petals.

Both casualties were taken by ambulance to the National University Hospital (NUH).

The baby has been discharged while the maid remains hospitalised.

SCDF said that a woman in her 30s, believed to be the maid, had suffered injuries to her head and was suspected to have spinal injuries.

At the hospital yesterday, her employers were overheard saying that there were no fractures.

They looked worried, but also relieved that the baby had sustained no major injuries.

She was surrounded by relatives at the Accident and Emergency department at NUH.

They had rushed down to the hospital from work on receiving a call about the accident.

The baby's mother had declined to comment, but said: "The most important thing to us right now is that they're all right."

She was also overheard saying that she had not met the driver, but that he should have gone to the hospital to apologise.

But Mr Chua had been at the scene of the accident at that time with a police officer.

'I grabbed hold of the wheel for dear life'

He was driving on the expressway when a car on the opposite side of the road suddenly crashed into the central divider and flipped in the air.

Then, a broken-off concrete block about the size of a brick flew towards his vehicle. He heard a thud and his car spun out of control and flipped on its left.

"I didn't realise I was going off the road. It seemed to happen in slow motion," said Mr Jayanath Perera, 52.

"I grabbed hold of the wheel for dear life." When his car flipped and landed on its side, it trapped him inside.

The accident happened on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE)on Sunday.

Mr Perera said he had been driving from his Bukit Batok home to church, in Bugis, at about 12.45pm.

He was travelling on the right-most lane on the PIE when a white Mitsubishi car travelling on the opposite side of the road crashed.

Mr Perera, a technical writer, said that when his Hyundai Matrix came to a stop, he found himself without a scratch on his body, although his right wrist was sprained.

"My first thought was: ' My car is gone!' Next I thought: 'How do I get out of the car?'"

He switched off the engine and rolled down a window to get air.

Traffic was light at the time and cars behind him were not affected, Mr Perera said.

"I stayed still, hoping someone would help. It was strange, at the moment I could think quite clearly. I knew I was okay, but I thought I shouldn't do anything stupid."

Thumbs up

Then one person stopped by to ask if he was fine. Mr Perera gave a thumbs up sign.

Four more men rushed to him, drivers and motorcyclists alike. Among them was PR consultant Richard Koong, 62, who arrived in his Mitsubishi Colt Plus.

They tried to open the doors of his Hyundai, but the doors were jammed.

So they lined up alongside Mr Perera's car and tried to right it as he braced himself for the jerk.

"We tried twice or thrice: One, two three, push. The car shook a bit, but it was too heavy for us," said Mr Koong, who had been travelling on the second lane from the right.

He remembered Mr Perera overtaking him just before the accident.

He had also caught a video of both accidents: The white Mitsubishi mounting the railings before falling back, and the bronze Hyundai veering to its right before flipping over.

Faced with the stuck doors of Mr Perera's car, somebody suggested breaking the windshield.

Then another person opened the rear hatch of the car.

Mr Perera unbuckled himself, half-stood up and crawled through the back of his car to freedom.

Yesterday, Mr Perera said he was impressed with the car design, as he was comfortably seated and strapped back - "as if it was normal to be on my side".

The possibility of the car catching fire crossed his mind, but he didn't smell anything burning. The accident dented the seven-year-old car on all sides, but inside, it was safe, he said.

Mr Koong said he was shocked when he saw Mr Perera's car flip.

He parked his car on the left side of the expressway and went back to help.

"I thought it could be serious. He could have been hurt. I immediately wondered if there was petrol, but there was no petrol on the ground."

Mr Perera said another driver parked his car behind his own, so nobody would hit his car.

Some people even passed him their mobile phone numbers, volunteering to be witnesses as he waited for the police and ambulance by the side of the road.

One man waited at least half an hour until Mr Perera's family - his wife and two sons in National Service - got there, after which he was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

A woman also got out of her car to tell him she had called the police before driving off.

Mr Perera said he called those who helped him on Sunday night to thank them.

"They went out of their way to stay with me, they made sure I was okay.

"I'm very appreciative of them; very appreciative that I've no injuries. Cars can be replaced, but the most important thing is I'm unhurt," he said.

The police said yesterday that the driver of the white car was not taken to hospital. He is assisting with investigations.

1 injured after SMRT bus rams into bus stop

SINGAPORE - An SMRT bus ferrying about 20 passengers was involved in an accident at Jurong Town Hall on Friday morning, the Shin Min Daily News reported.

The SMRT service 176 was travelling towards Bukit Panjang Interchange at about 6.15am when it mounted a kerb then crashed into the bus stop.

The impact sliced off the roof of the bus stop, The New Paper reported. Shattered glass was also scattered around the accident site.

The front of the bus was also badly damaged.

One passenger was injured and was attended to by paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

An eyewitness told reporters that he had heard the driver of the bus explaining that he felt a pain in his left hand, causing him to lose control of the wheel.

The resident told the Chinese daily that there would usually be many schoolchildren from a nearby secondary school at the bus stop, but since it was a school holiday, the bus stop was empty.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.

According to an SMRT spokesperson, the driver alerted the SMRT's bus operations control centre.

The police was immediately contacted and a field team was dispatched to assist passengers.

Passengers were transferred to another bus to continue their journey.

It added that the bus driver has been suspended from duty while the investigation is being carried out.

Chong Pang accident: 1 victim in ICU

At about 8am, a dark grey Mercedes was reversing into a parking space in front of Block 102 in Yishun Avenue 2 when the driver was said to have lost control of the vehicle, which then continued on for 50m.

The car slammed into a number of stalls under the block - including a newspaper stand and a vegetable stall, sending newspapers and red onions flying into the air - before coming to a stop after another 50m.

It also hit a parked Toyota, dislodging the white car's bumper.

Two men and three women - in their 50s and 60s - were injured in the incident, which was captured by a closed-circuit TV camera in the vicinity.

A video clip of the incident was uploaded online, and shows the speeding car ramming into the stalls with the driver's door open. Frantic passers-by can also be seen dashing out of the way.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said a phone call about the incident was received at about 8.15am.

Three ambulances took the five victims to the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. The victims suffered head, limb and back injuries.

A police spokesman said that the driver, a 65-year-old man, was assisting in investigations. He was unhurt.

Some eyewitnesses said he may have been with his wife.

A Khoo Teck Puat Hospital spokesman said three of the five victims have since been discharged.

Of the two remaining victims, one was in a high-dependency ward in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, while the other was in a general ward.

When my paper visited the scene at about 1pm, there was no sign of the car or any debris. A small shopping trolley, which stallholders said belonged to one of the injured women, was propped up against a nearby lamppost.

Ms Ma Jiayi, 45, a shop assistant at Lam Vegetables and Fruits, said she heard a loud crash 10 minutes after she arrived for work. There were about 10 customers at the shop at the time.

Recounting the screams and confusion that followed, she said: "I was so scared, I couldn't even react.

"One of the victims was sitting on the floor with a fractured leg. You could see the broken bone through his skin."

Update:
The victim who is in the high-dependency ward (HDW) at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital has been identified as 51-year-old Madam Mahalakshmi, The New Paper reported on Tuesday.

She is the last person to be hit and suffered the most serious injuries, including a cracked skull, fractured spine, collar bone and ribs, as well as internal bleeding in her brain.

Madam Mahalakshmi is still under observation. Her son told The New Paper that she still cannot speak coherently and lapses in and out of consciousness because of the sedatives she has to take.

The production operator at Seagate was shopping for groceries with her family at the market when she was hit.

Man jailed & fined for killing pedestrian

SINGAPORE: A man who drove a car without a valid licence and ended up killing an elderly pedestrian was jailed 11 months and fined S$2,000 on Monday.

22-year-old Shawn See Joo Song was also disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for 10 years.

He pleaded guilty to three charges, which include causing the death of 65-year-old Mislia Ahmad by a rash act, driving a car without the consent of the owner and driving without a valid licence.

The court heard that See failed to give way to the victim who was crossing the road at Tampines Street 45 in December last year.

See was turning right from Tampines Street 45 into Tampines Avenue 9 when he collided into her.

The court heard that he had also turned his head to speak to his passenger while making the right turn.

The victim was taken to Changi General Hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after.

For committing a rash act, See could have been jailed up to five years and fined.

The maximum punishment for taking and driving any motor vehicle without the consent of its owner is three months' jail and S$1,000 fine.

Those who are caught driving without a licence can also be jailed up to three months and fined S$1,000.

Police officer fined for negligent driving

As an officer with the Police Coast Guard, his job was to keep our waters safe.

But on land, he drove negligently and slammed into a pedestrian, causing him to now be in a vegetative state.

Lee Koon Seng, 32, was fined $4,000 Friday for causing grievous hurt by negligent driving. He was also disqualified from holding a driving licence for all vehicles for three years.

According to court documents, Mr Janson Tay, 29, had been crossing Balestier Road to get back to his car with his friend, Mr Andrew Guy Anthony, at around 3.50am on Jan 12 last year.

Visibility was dim along the three-lane road then.

Mr Anthony, 23, told The New Paper previously: "Janson was a few steps behind me, and I didn't see any oncoming car."

As he reached the centre divider, he heard a loud bang and turned around to see a pair of shoes on the road.

Recognising them as Mr Tay's, he rushed over and saw his friend lying on the road a few metres away.

The impact was so great, the car's windscreen cracked.

Lee alighted, checked on Mr Tay and called for an ambulance.

Mr Tay was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital in a coma. He was diagnosed to have a severe traumatic brain injury with multiple skull fractures with internal bleeding.

In April last year, TNP reported that Mr Tay's friends held a football match to raise funds for his medical bills.

His parents quit their jobs to care for him round-the-clock.

Mr Tay, who worked as a used car salesman before the accident, spent the first three months after the accident in the intensive care unit, then another four months in a normal ward.

He went home after that, but remains unconscious most of the time.

His mother, Mrs Sally Tay, 54, said his eyes have flickered open before, but he is still unresponsive.

Before the accident, Mr Tay loved singing. He was one of the Top 14 male contestants of Singapore Idol 2006 and a contestant of Project Superstar the year before.

Mrs Tay makes sure she turns up for every court hearing. She said: "He can't defend himself now. As his mum, I must defend him."

Yesterday, after Lee's sentence was passed, Mrs Tay left the courtroom with her sisters hastily.

She sank into a seat along the corridor and sobbed as her sisters watched helplessly.

She said: "The driver asked for leniency. He said he wants to start afresh, start from scratch.

What about my son... he has done nothing wrong. But how is he going to start afresh?"

Mr Tay is her only son, and to survive financially, the family sold their four-room flat in Toa Payoh and moved in with Mrs Tay's sister.

When asked about their finances, Mrs Tay only offered a cryptic laugh.

Her voice turned hoarse. She said: "My son had three major brain operations and parts of his skull were taken off. I don't expect anything. But he's my only son, you know.

"I know the driver didn't hit him intentionally. But just because it's negligence doesn't mean he doesn't need to say sorry.

"He is not remorseful at all."

At a previous court hearing, Lee's lawyer, Ms Grace Malathy, pleaded for leniency on her client's behalf.

She pointed out that Lee had a clean record and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

She added that he also assisted with investigations.

Woman driver strips naked to prevent medical rescue

*Shown above: The woman desperately tried to stop an ambulance that had rushed to the rescue by lying down naked in front of it.

A woman is in custody after lying naked in front of an ambulance that was trying to reach a mother and daughter she is accused of hitting with her car, police said.

The 4-year-old girl later died, family said.

The accident occurred on June 17 when a 36-year-old teacher sped through a residential community street in Linyi, Shandong province, hitting the mother and her daughter on a bike, as well as several cars on the street.

Video footage online depicted the driver's frantic behavior after her car got stuck in a flower bed, when she desperately tried to stop an ambulance that had rushed to the rescue by lying down naked in front of it.

Later, as medical staff prepared to leave the scene, she forcibly grabbed the girl from the ambulance and pulled her to the ground.

Wang Lewen, the girl's uncle, said she died in the hospital and the mother was in a coma.

Wang said the family used to say hello to the driver as they live in neighboring buildings. "We barely knew anything about her, not to mention holding any hatred toward each other," he said.

Wang said the family decided to put the video on the Internet as they believe more attention will help bring the case to justice.

The video has already been subject of great attention after being reposted on micro blogs and video-sharing websites.

Yi Shenghua, a lawyer at Beijing Yingke Law Firm, said a test of the driver's mental state is necessary before the judicial process begins.

"It is possible that she suffered a mental disorder at that moment as her behavior seems to have gone beyond what a normal person would have done after a traffic accident," Yi said. Yi believed if a test proves the driver had a disorder, she should be given a lighter punishment, otherwise she could face severe penalties for murder.

"The traffic accident might be one act of killing by mistake. But trying to interrupt rescue efforts is an act that tries to deprive others of life," Yi said.

An official from the local police, who only gave his name as Chen, said an investigation is ongoing.

Major accident along Farrer Road, 3 injured

SINGAPORE: Three people were injured in an accident involving a truck and two cars on Sunday evening at Farrer Road near Blk 64.

Traffic was almost brought to a standstill for about two hours on Farrer Road toward Holland Road.

This after an overturned mover's truck blocked three out of the four lanes.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call about the accident at 5pm.

The SCDF despatched a fire engine, one red rhino, two ambulances and two other support vehicles.

Three men were injured including the truck driver - a male Chinese national in his 30s, his passenger who is a Singaporean man in his 20s and a pedestrian in his 40s.

It is believed that the pedestrian was hit by a car while trying to help the other two men.

SCDF said the trio suffered abrasions and cuts on their limbs.

They were sent to Alexandra Hospital in a conscious state.

Woodlands crash: 'I didn't even hear the car coming'

WHEN IT happened, it was so sudden that she literally did not know what hit her. All she knew was that something had knocked into her from behind.

As she fell to the ground, she saw a haunting sight - her two young sons were flying through the air.

A car then passed them before skidding to a stop about 20m away.

The boys landed a few metres away, curled up in foetal positions.

A stunned Madam Ho Bee Keng, 35, then turned to her left and saw her mother-in-law, Madam Gwee Ham Siau, 64, lying in an awkward position, blood flowing from her temples.

Madam Ho, who suffered a broken right foot, told The New Paper yesterday: "I didn't hear any screeching of tyres (before the accident).

"People asked me why I didn't get out of the way. How could I when I didn't even hear the car coming?"

She said the four of them were walking on the pavement along Woodlands Drive 14, which is separated from the road by a 2m-wide grass patch, at about 5.45pm on Wednesday.

They were heading for dinner after watching a television show at their home in Block 511 Woodlands Avenue 2.

Madam Ho was walking next to Madam Gwee, with her sons slightly ahead of them, when the accident happened. Madam Gwee died in hospital at 8pm that night.

After the car stopped, she saw the driver get out and stand beside the door.

Madam Ho said she had the impression that the man might have wanted to leave the scene, so she shouted at him in Mandarin: "Don't go!"

Despite the pain in her foot, she got up and went over to him.

"I grabbed his forearm with both hands. He tried to brush me off, but I dragged him back towards the pavement," Madam Ho said.

"I felt dizzy, so I sat down and made him sit with me. I didn't let him go."

The car's licence plate had fallen to the ground, so she grabbed it as well.

"The driver didn't seem worried, he was just expressionless. He spoke to me in English, which I didn't understand."

By that time, passers-by and people at a nearby playground had converged on the scene.

"There were so many people that even if he wanted to run, he couldn't have," Madam Ho said.
She asked a passer-by to call for an ambulance and the police.

Another fetched her mobile phone, which was in a purse she was carrying.

She called her husband, Mr Oh Boon Sing, a 43-year-old chef, but he did not pick up. She then got through to her brother-in-law, who worked nearby. He cycled over within minutes.

Madam Ho said her two sons, Wei Jie, eight, and Wei Jun, six, had passed out momentarily after the accident. When they came to, they started crying.

"Their faces were pale. Wei Jie kept saying, 'It's painful'."

A passer-by stepped up and told her he would keep an eye on the driver so she could tend to her boys, Madam Ho said.

"Wei Jun said he was very tired and wanted to sleep. I was so afraid and kept on slapping his cheek, telling him not to sleep."

Wei Jie's former kindergarten teacher, who lived in the area, also stopped by to help with the children.

The older boy had a broken left leg, while his brother suffered facial cuts and was bleeding from his anus.

Worried

Madam Ho said: "I was most worried for my mother-in-law. She didn't move, didn't speak, though her eyelids fluttered. Somebody wanted to help move her but I told him not to."

When an ambulance arrived soon after, it left first with Madam Gwee. Wei Jie was taken by a second ambulance while Madam Ho and Wei Jun shared a third.

They were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, and Madam Ho was discharged that night. The boys are now warded at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

She said she couldn't sleep that night because she was worried for her children. Her sister-in-law's family is looking after the boys.

"Wei Jun is very frightened. He screams repeatedly that he wants to come home to sleep. His brother keeps dozing off from the medication."

An eyewitness had told TNP on Wednesday night that one of the boys was on a bicycle when the car hit him.

But Madam Ho said the only bicycle at the scene was her brother-in-law's, which he hastily tossed aside once he arrived.

Madam Ho and her husband were busy arranging for Madam Gwee's wake, at the void deck of their block, and her funeral on Sunday.

The widow of four years had been living with the family in the Woodlands flat since her son married Madam Ho in 2003.

"She doted on the children. She was easy to get along with and there were never any squabbles in our home," Madam Ho said.

The 31-year-old driver of the car told Shin Min Daily News that he had been travelling at about 50kmh at the time and had swerved to avoid a child dashing across the road.

The engineer said he had no intention of fleeing and had in fact tried to pick up one of the boys, but was stopped by passers-by.

The police, who arrested the driver at the scene, said yesterday that they are still investigating the case.

Accidents where vehicles mounted kerbs

Sept 13, 2011 

A taxi uprooted two bollards - made of steel sections and concrete - and ploughed into a bus stop in front of Block 315, Bukit Batok West Avenue 2.

Three men at the bus stop suffered cuts and bruises to their faces, hands and knees.

Oct 17, 2010 

A 24-year-old Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer was killed when his Mitsubishi Lancer mounted a kerb, spun and crashed into a tree at Admiralty Road West.

His 25-year-old passenger suffered serious head injuries and multiple fractures.

Two passers-by walking on the pavement were hit by broken pieces from the car and taken to hospital for outpatient treatment.

May 1, 2007 

A speeding Toyota Vios crashed into a bus stop at Penang Road, injuring six women.

It mounted a kerb and uprooted a steel bus service information stand and two benches at the bus stop.
The driver was later jailed for 15 months and disqualified from driving for 10 years.

May 13, 1998 

Three people were killed on the spot and another four seriously hurt after a sports car ploughed into a Bendemeer Road bus stop.

The driver was jailed for two years for rash and dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for life.

The accident prompted the Land Transport Authority to install 1,500 of Singapore's 4,000 bus stops with bollards.

$1.6 million won't matter, says family

SINGAPORE - It was a fine Sunday morning two days after Christmas in 2009 and cycling enthusiast Michael Loke was riding alone along the three-lane Keppel Road.

He didn't know it then, but it was a moment that was going to change his life - and that of his family's - forever.

Mr Loke was hit by a lorry.

Despite wearing a helmet, the accident caused severe brain injury and left him paralysed from the neck down.

Mr Loke also suffered multiple fractures and is completely blind from corneal scarring.

He is now bedridden, unable to stand, sit or walk, speech-impaired and has no voluntary control of his bladder, among other problems.

At the time of the accident, Mr Loke, then 52, was in the prime of his life.

A project director with construction and civil engineering firm Shimizu Corporation, the father of four was earning a monthly salary of $12,200 - enough to support his wife and family in an HUDC apartment in the east.

"Our lives have never been the same (since the accident)," said Mr Loke's wife. Madam Jannette Hoy.

"He can't swallow food - we have to puree it. He can't even drink water - we have to thicken it with gum so that he doesn't choke. His throat muscles don't work anymore."

A civil suit was launched, but midway through the trial, in February this year, the lorry driver's insurer agreed to pay Mr Loke around $1.6 million on 100 per cent liability.

Mr Loke's lawyer, Mr Cosmas Gomez, had put in a claim of about $3.5 million for future out-of-pocket expenses, excluding pre-trial expenses, which had totalled $183,113.

The bulk of it - about $1.9 million - was for the loss of future income.

This was based on the fact that Mr Loke had about 13 years of employment before he reached the retirement age of 65, and his monthly income of $12,200.

Court papers The New Paper obtained said: "If the accident had not occurred, the plaintiff's income would have increased in his continual employment with his company, and in the next five years, he would have achieved much more (than) the present amount he is getting in view of his attitude and abilities.

"Moreover, he was well-liked by his superiors and was highly looked upon by them for a job well done, always."

Other expenses included physiotherapy over 12 years ($129,600) and daily necessities totalling $216,000, for items such as adult diapers and wet wipes for the rest of his life.

'Unusual payout'

TNP spoke to lawyer Alfred Lim, who told us that the seven-figure payout is "quite unusual" and that "most insurers would not agree to 100 per cent liability".

However, the insurer could have agreed on a settlement as insurers typically "do not want to go for a full hearing" as it involves calling witnesses and "legal fees could go up", Mr Lim said.

But another lawyer, Mr Ajinderpal Singh, told this newspaper that the 100 per cent liability is "not rare".

"It depends on who is at fault and if there were reduced mitigating factors," he said.

Insurers, too, said the 100 per cent liability and the amount paid out were not unusual.

"A Bangladeshi worker was paid $1 million for a work injury claim, so $1.6 million may not be unreasonable," said an industry source, who declined to be named.

"Insurance companies are smart enough to know if the amount is too high or low," he added.

Past president of Insurance and Financial Practitioners Association of Singapore Francis Shin agreed the sum paid out and 100 per cent liability was "not rare".

In unveiling its underwriting results in April, the General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA) noted that personal injury accidents have been on the rise since 2008.

The number of personal injury accidents went up by 18 per cent between 2008 and 2011, with total claim amounts also rising.

GIA president Derek Teo told The Business Times recently that one area where claims have increased involves cyclists.

"In one of the cases involving a cyclist who was paralysed as a result of a road accident, the amount to be awarded is likely to be substantial, in the seven figures on 100 per cent liability," said Mr Teo.

A 100 per cent liability or not, for Madam Hoy, it is scant consolation.

"No amount of money can bring his health back, and happiness of our family.

"He was a humorous and generous man, and a great father. He provided for the family very well," she said.

Madam Hoy told TNP that her husband was a water polo player in the 70s and that if he wasn't cycling, he would be at the gym, swimming pool or golf course.

"He was doing very well in his career and was respected by the many people he had worked with.

"The number of people who visited him in hospital was overwhelming. Till today, his Japanese bosses continue to visit him ," she said.

Last July, lorry driver Muhammad Nurhakim Omar had pleaded guilty in a criminal court to inconsiderate driving. He admitted that he had collided into Mr Loke from behind.

He was fined $1,000 and banned from driving for eight months.

The civil suit started in January this year. Mr Muhammad Nurhakim, who was 21 at the time of the accident, was said to have failed to keep a proper lookout, driving at an excessive speed and too close to Mr Loke.

Midway through the trial, the lorry driver's insurance company conceded liability.

Said Madam Hoy: "It saddens me that we've not received a word of apology from the driver."

1.5 metres matters, say cyclists 

Lawyer Mark Goh, 45, has been cycling to work for the past 10 years, and he's had his fair share of close shaves.

But what worries him is that recent fatalities have occurred not on busy roads, but on quieter and wider thoroughfare.

"The cyclist who died on Changi Coast Road - this was in broad daylight at 10.30am - and it's a spacious road.

"Last week, a van knocked two cyclists, killing one, on Senoko South Road - a two-by-two-lane industrial road.

"I would like to see speed traps and cameras installed at these quieter roads and big signs warning road users of these speed cameras. Also, isolated spots should be brightly lit," he said.

But a more permanent solution would be an awareness campaign that gets motorists to recognise cyclists are road users too, he said.

"Unlike in Europe, drivers here don't slow down when they see you; they don't respect you.

"The doctor who knocked and killed cyclist Benjamin Mok got four weeks' jail. I think legislation needs to be changed to provide for longer-term imprisonment," Mr Goh said.

Raise awareness 

Marketing manager Michelle Teo, 36, felt an awareness campaign, like the OCBC Cycle Singapore's safe cycling campaign launched in 2010 to get drivers to give cyclists a 1.5m berth when overtaking, would be more effective than legislation.

"I'm not in favour of bicycle lanes because some of our roads are narrow, and I don't want to be confined to park connectors, so a better way would be to change the mindset of drivers," she said.

Even so, some cyclists question the effectiveness of the campaign.

"It needs government enforcement to work. And an intermittent green line would help guide drivers to keep away from cyclists," said production manager Mohamed Amat, 49, who cycles to work from Bishan to Jurong Island.

"They can enter the space when there are no cyclists," he added.

According to statistics from the Traffic Police, the top cause of road accidents in Singapore which resulted in death or injuries, is inattentiveness.

Between 2007 and last year, "failing to keep a proper lookout" consistently accounted for about one-third of all causes.

This was followed by "failing to have proper control" of a vehicle (18.5 per cent) and "failing to give way to traffic with right of way" (13.2 per cent).

Ferrari driver complained of lack of roads here for high-speed driving

SINGAPORE - Mr Ma Chi, 31, who passed away after his red Ferrari crashed into a taxi while he was speeding to beat the red light, reportedly told an ex-colleague that he had no intention to stay in Singapore long-term as there was no place to drive his supercar at high speeds.

"The Lion City's too small, with no roads for driving at high speed," he told former colleague Zhong Yi in 2009.

According to The Beijing News, friends had mentioned that Mr Ma liked to drive in the middle of the night because there were less cars on the road.

The Straits Times reported that he owns another luxury sports car - an Infiniti, which costs at least 400,000 yuan (S$79,600). He keeps the car in his native province of Sichuan.

According to the English daily, Mr Ma first came to Singapore four years ago with his wife and child in 2008.

Friends said he was a hard-working and righteous person who worked as a financial investor. He was also applying for permanent residency in Singapore.

He died at the scene on May 4 while cabby Cheng Teck Hock and passenger Shigemi Ito died in hospital.

Mr Zhong said he himself had been in a car accident back in 2003, when he had been driving too fast and suffered a concussion from the accident.

He told Beijing News that he regretted not telling Mr Ma about, and sharing lessons learnt from the unfortunate experience.

New crash sparks calls for action on junction

In the wake of yet another collision at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street last Saturday morning, this time involving a Lexus and a taxi, transport bodies and motorists are calling for the authorities to step in to ensure that the junction is safe.

Members of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport whom my paper spoke to yesterday urged the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to look into the matter.

Mr Ang Hin Kee, a committee member and adviser to the National Taxi Association, said: "Following these accidents, the LTA should ensure that there are adequate safety measures in place, and that the road conditions and set-up are safe for all users."

Last Saturday's accident comes two weeks after a Ferrari allegedly beat the red light on the morning of May 12 and crashed into a taxi, resulting in three deaths.

The Lexus in the latest case - the eighth reported at the junction in the past month - also allegedly beat a red light and hit the tail end of the taxi, causing the cab to spin.

The driver of the Lexus, a 30-year-old Singaporean man, was arrested for suspected drink driving and dangerous driving.

Mr Ang also suggested that the authorities should consider getting taxi companies to make taxis safer by installing airbags and conducting routine mainte- nance checks on cabs.

"A safer road for taxis is also a safer road for other motorists, and will be beneficial for all."

On whether taxi drivers needed more training in road safety, he said that was not necessary as there were no mistakes made by the cabbies in both the latest accident and the Ferrari crash, where their driving skills were concerned.

He supported calls for a separate licensing and competency test for drivers of "supercars", as "the capacity and performance (of a supercar) are very different from those of a normal sedan, and drivers may not know how to handle that kind of horse- power".

Fellow committee member Gan Thiam Poh said it was the responsibility of motorists to help prevent accidents and that safety should be a priority.

Mr Gerard Ee, chairman of the Public Transport Council, said that the roads at the junction are wide and, coupled with the lighter traffic conditions in the wee hours, drivers may be more likely to speed.

"The focus of the accidents should not be on the cars, but on the recklessness of the drivers.

Motorists should comply with traffic regulations to prevent accidents from happening," he reiterated.
Other motorists also urged for more to be done.

Undergraduate Marcus Tan, 24, said: "The LTA should identify any blind spots that make the junction prone to accidents, and correct them as soon as possible, before another fatality happens."

A netizen said on citizen-journalism website Stomp yesterday that there appeared to be a surveillance camera with a "perfect vantage point" installed at the junction, and suggested that the authorities use the footage captured to further probe the accidents.

Drink driver arrested for another accident at Ferrari crash site

SINGAPORE - The site of the horrific Ferrari crash two weeks ago was again the scene of another accident early Saturday morning.

A Lexus and a Comfort taxi were involved in a traffic accident at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street, local media reports said.

One of the victims - the male taxi passenger - was sent to the Singapore General Hospital after the accident, which was reported to the police at about 3.15am this morning. He received outpatient treatment.

According to a latest statement by the police, a 30-year-old driver of the Lexus has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving.

A breathalyser test result showed 42 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the prescribed legal limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres. If convicted, he will be disqualified from driving for at least 12 months.

Those found guilty of drink driving will also lose their driving licences and have to retake the theory and practical driving tests in order to obtain their driving licences again.

In addition, first-time offenders can be fined between $1,000 and $5,000, or jailed up to 6 months.

Repeat offenders may be punished with a maximum fine of $30,000 and a mandatory jail term of up to three years. They may also be caned up to six strokes should death or serious injury be caused.

Ferrari crash junction, red light rogues still beat light

The junction where the accident occurred is notorious for motorists running the red light.

Netizens have claimed that, as a result, there have been countless near misses at the junction of Victoria Street and Rochor Road.

Just two Saturdays ago, three people were killed after a Ferrari driver allegedly ignored a red light there before crashing into a taxi.

The Ferrari driver, Mr Ma Chi, 31, a Chinese national, died at the scene.

The taxi driver, Mr Cheng Teck Hock, 52, and his Japanese passenger, Ms Shigemi Ito, 41, died in hospital.

The situation is worse on Fridays and Saturdays, netizens said, as revellers leave watering holes at places like Boat Quay and Orchard Road and head down Victoria Street towards Kallang.

Two weeks after the accident, The New Paper waited at the same junction from 1am to 4am on Saturday. How bad was it?

Despite the accident, some motorists still blatantly beat the red lights at the junction.

Three cars, two taxis and a motorcycle ran the light when TNP was at the junction.

The first offender, a motorcyclist, was spotted at 1.30am.

He rode down Victoria Street and turned left into Rochor Road even though the light had turned red.

Traffic at the junction became less heavy soon after.

But between 3am and 4am, as clubbers left from a night of partying, the roads became crowded again with cars revving their engines.

Most of the vehicles were travelling from the city down Victoria Street towards Kallang.

A dark-coloured car beat the red light at 3am about five seconds after it changed from green.

About 15 minutes later, another car and a taxi were seen doing the same.

A light-coloured car, this time travelling from the East Coast Parkway down Rochor Road, beat the red light soon after at 3.25am.

About five minutes after this, another taxi travelling down Victoria Street was spotted doing likewise as it turned into Rochor Road.

No camera 

The junction isn't fitted with a red-light camera.

The offence of jumping a red light carries a six- month jail term.

But first offenders are usually fined up to $1,000 and given 12 demerit points. Any motorist who accumulates 24 or more demerit points within two years will be barred from driving for a year.

Motorists whom TNP spoke to said that another accident at the junction is imminent if fellow road users continue beating the red light there.

One motorist, Mr Trevor Chan, 36, who works in the sales line, said: "Maybe it's time that the authorities install a red-light camera at the junction. Only then would motorists stop breaking the law there."

A primary school teacher, who declined to be named, felt the same way.

"This is the only way to stop these irresponsible motorists from breaking the law," she said.

Ferrari accident: Cabby's family receives $170,000 in donations

SINGAPORE - Donations have been pouring in for late cabby Cheng Teck Hock's family.
According to mypaper, ComfortDelGro had collected about $170,000, as of Friday.

Tammy Tan, ComfortDelGro's group corporate communications officer told mypaper that staff, cabbies and the public have been generous, and the highest amount for a single donation was $30,000 from an anonymous donor.

Mr Cheng, 52, died in an accident on May 12. He had been driving his taxi past the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street when his car was hit by a Ferrari.

Both the Ferrari driver, Mr Ma Chi, and the taxi's passenger, Ms Shigemi Ito, also died in the accident.

Mr Cheng was the sole breadwinner for the family, and his family faced financial difficulties. His three children need help with school fees.

The National Taxi Association (NTA) was also working closely with ComfortDelGro to help the family financially, according to reports.

NTA said that fellow taxi drivers and the public have made donations, with two cabbies making a $5,000 donation each.

A group of staff and merchants at Sim Lim Square have also pooled together a combined donation amount of $10,000.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for Nee Soon GRC, Mr K Shanmugan said in a Facebook post on Friday that he has spoken to several government agencies, a Foundation and grassroots leaders.

They are trying to help the family in a "structured and sustained way", but will speak with the family to assess their needs when they are ready.

Mr Shanmugan said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that he told Cheng's 21-year-old daughter not to worry about university fees as long as she qualifies for a local university. He also reassured Mdm Lim that he and his grassroots leaders will help ease her family's financial problems.

ComfortDelGro is still collecting donations until the end of the month.

Cheque donations can be dropped off at the general service counter on level 1 of the ComfortDelGro office located at 383 Sin Ming Drive.

Cheques should be made payable to his wife, Mdm Lim Choo Eng.

They can also be mailed to:

THE CHENG FAMILY c/o Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd 383 Sin Ming Drive Singapore 575717 Attn: Customer Service Centre

Cash donations can be made at the cashier next to the general service counter. The office is open from 8am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday.

THE CHENG FAMILY c/o Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd 383 Sin Ming Drive Singapore 575717 Attn: Customer Service Centre
Cash donations can be made at the cashier next to the general service counter. The office is open from 8am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday.

Motorcyclist dies after being pinned under taxi

SINGAPORE - An accident along Bedok Reservoir Road that occurred around 10pm on Friday, May 18 claimed one life.

The accident was between a motorbike and a taxi according to a report on local citizen journalism site, Stomp.

The New Paper also reported that the motorcyclist, 24, was killed after he was pinned under the taxi. The taxi driver and his two passengers were unharmed.

The motorbike had been 'reduced to scrap metal and the taxi had its door dented,' claimed netizen Akunameless on Stomp.

The netizen who was on his way home in bus 66, said that all the passengers alighted as the Singapore Civil Defence force and the Traffic Police had blocked off the road.

SCDF told The New Paper that they had received the call at 10.32pm and that the man was pronounced dead by paramedics at 11.05pm.

He suffered head and abdominal injuries.

A witness, Mr Shaidin, 24, who spoke to The New Paper said that the motorcyclist was initially moving and he spoken words of encouragement to him.

But by the time help arrived the victim was motionless.

He had also helped to direct traffic away from the accident site.

Cabby's daughter in Ferrari accident to receive varsity aid: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE - Law and Foreign Minister, K. Shanmugam, who is the Member of Parliament representative for the Nee Soon GRC, was at the wake of Mr Cheng Teck Hock, 52, the taxi driver who was killed in Saturday's accident involving a Ferrari.

The minister met with the family of the victim and assured the cabby's daughter, Stephanie Cheng, that she no longer has to worry about paying for her university education, reported The Straits Times.

The minister said that the 21-year-old girl will not have to worry about her planned university education as long as she qualifies for a local university.

He posted on his Facebook saying: "I assured them that the eldest daughter can go to University if she qualifies and need not worry about money.

"I also assured Mrs Cheng that we will help them by raising funds and that they don't need to worry about their HDB flat. In addition I intend to get a lawyer to help them make a claim."

Stephanie had previously told The New Paper that she has to put her university dreams on hold while she supports the family. She is the eldest of three children and her father was the family's sole breadwinner.

She had recently graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition.

She has two younger brothers, Dao Han, 19, a second year student in Anderson Junior College and Dao Long, 17, a Secondary 5 student in Yishun Town Secondary School.

He also told The Straits Times that he and his grassroots leaders will do everything they can to help the family.

He added that an aid package is being put together to help with the needs of the family for the long-run, including their HDB flat. The details will be worked out with the family.

The wake is being held at Block 306, Canberra Road.

On Saturday, a Ferrari that was driven by 31-year-old Chinese businessman Ma Chi crashed into the taxi that was driven by Mr Cheng when it ran a red light, causing the taxi to hit a passing motorcycle.

The accident claimed the lives of Mr Ma, Mr Cheng and his passenger Ms Shigemi Ito. The motorcyclist, Mr Muhammad Najib and the passenger in the Ferrari, Ms Wu Wei Wei survived the accident.

Cabby's death dashes daughter's uni hopes


She dreamt of going to university and graduating with a degree.

Now it seems the hopes of Stephanie Cheng, 21, might have been abruptly dashed - at least for the foreseeable future.

Her cabby father's sudden death in a horrific traffic accident at Bugis last Saturday morning has left the family without a breadwinner.

As the eldest of three children, Miss Cheng, who had just graduated from polytechnic, may now have to put her dreams on hold to find a job to support the family.

Video footage of the accident showed that Mr Cheng Teck Hock, 52, was pulling out of Rochor Road after the lights turned green when a Ferrari moving along Victoria Street slammed into his taxi.

The Ferrari driver died on the spot, and Mr Cheng's female Japanese passenger died soon after.

The cabby, who was warded in the Intensive Care Unit of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, died at 7pm on Sunday.

Miss Cheng, who had just graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a Diploma in Food Science And Nutrition, had wanted to further her education.

"Stephanie used to pay her own school fees by being a part-time tutor," said her cousin, Miss Stella Tan, 23.

"She would have liked to proceed to university. But given the current situation, we'll need to see how."

The family of five lives in a five-room flat in Sembawang and Mr Cheng was the sole breadwinner.

Another of Miss Cheng's cousins, who is in his 30s and wanted to be known only as Mr Lim, said that Mr Cheng and his wife, Madam Lim Choo Eng, 49, used to own a seafood business in a wet market more than a decade ago.

They would work from early in the morning till late at night daily.

Exhaustion 

It eventually led to an episode when Madam Lim fainted and was hospitalised for exhaustion.

"Times were hard, and the business was not doing well, so she became a housewife and he became a taxi driver," Mr Lim explained.

To help Miss Cheng achieve her dream of going to university, Mr Cheng would even work on his rest days and take up longer hours, he added.

"But he was a very careful driver. Despite wanting to earn more, he would take a break whenever he was tired," Mr Lim said.

Miss Tan added that the couple had wanted a good upbringing for their kids, to watch them grow up and to stand by them always.

Now that Mr Cheng has passed on, the burden of being the sole breadwinner will almost certainly fall on Miss Cheng's shoulders.

"With this sort of financial situation, it might be a bit hard for them to proceed with their studies," said Mr Lim.

"It might be heavier on Stephanie, since her brothers are still schooling, but she has graduated."

The close-knit family has been together since Saturday, after they got the grim news at 1pm that Mr Cheng had been admitted to hospital.

"We called all our relatives from both our paternal and maternal sides to go to the hospital," said Miss Cheng's brother, Dao Han, 19.

Dao Han is a Year 2 student in Anderson Junior College and Dao Long, 17, a Secondary 5 student at Yishun Town Secondary School. (See report on facing page.)

"I will miss his caring nature the most. He never really expressed it in words, but more in terms of actions," said Dao Han of his father.

"When he came back from work, he would watch us when we were sleeping.

"My father only got an O-level certificate, so he can't really help us with our (home)work. But he's Chinese-educated, so if we have problems with Chinese, we could seek his help."

Miss Tan said that since her uncle worked the night shift, he was always out at work when his children came home from school.

They would see him only on weekends.

She said: "They were all busy with exams, and the focus on bonding was minimal. So they are really very sad."

She said Mr Cheng showed a strong will to live, despite his injuries.

"He was supposed to go on the first day, but the nurses told us, 'Your uncle's will is too strong, he doesn't want to leave too early,'" she said.

She felt that his desire to make up for lost time was what kept him alive that bit longer.

"Before he was admitted, he never saw his children, so no last words were said," said Miss Tan.

Dao Han added: "On the day before the accident, none of us actually saw him. The next time we saw him was when he was lying in the hospital."

The family is coping for now, with support from their kin.

"My mother broke down at times, but now she's staying calm. We told her to stay strong and that we would all support each other," said Dao Han.

He said that his sister was very emotional and would cry when she recalled how their father had cared for her.

Quiet person 

"My younger brother (Dao Long) never shows anything, as he's a naturally quiet person. I've recommended him to see his school counsellors if he needs to," said Dao Han.

The family has received many anonymous calls and messages of condolences, with some people offering to send money electronically to their bank account.

Dao Han said that while the family appreciates the offers, "it is hard to track down who contributed through electronic transfers".

"We would really like to acknowledge them personally," he said.

Miss Tan added: "We also want anyone who can give an account of the accident to give us the truth, and give us some closure."

The police are investigating the cause of the accident. Witnesses are helping with the investigation, and any person with additional information which might be relevant to the case can call 1800-547-1818.

All evidence, including CCTV footage, will be thoroughly reviewed.