Man, 69, drives into 5 vehicles in Bedok carpark
A 69-year-old man, who uses a walking aid, accidentally drove his car into five stationary vehicles in an open-air carpark in Bedok on Wednesday.
"Three motorcycles were strewn like bowling pins," said the owner of one of the damaged cars, a real estate agent who wanted to be known only as Mr Yeo, 45.
The out-of-control car rammed into Mr Yeo's car, breaking its bumper and shifting it by 45 degrees.
It also crashed into a white car opposite Mr Yeo's, damaging the bonnet and dislodging the licence plate.
The mayhem occurred at around 4.40pm at Bedok North Avenue 4 near Block 98.
When The New Paper spoke to the driver, Mr Chng Chor Choo, yesterday, he said he was unhappy over the incident.
Speaking in Mandarin, he said: "I was leaving the carpark when I lost control of the car. I think I accidentally stepped on the accelerator."
Mr Chng, who lives at Block 99, said he was on his way to Geylang East when the accident happened.
Mr Chai Chin Tiong, 61, who lives at Block 98, said Mr Chng would drive out in his red Mitsubishi Lancer daily to visit a friend who lives there.
Mr Yeo heard the loud noise from his seventh-storey flat but dismissed it as construction works at first.
"It sounded like a ladder falling," he said.
But 10 minutes later, he got a call from the police and rushed down to find, to his dismay, his car bumper in shambles.
"Thankfully, no one was injured," said Mr Yeo. He said he then saw Mr Chng, who was visibly shaken, but the old man did not apologise.
"My first thought was that the integrity of my car would be compromised.
"It is only around six years old and my warranty had just expired."
Frustrated, he filmed the scene on his mobile phone and plans to claim third party insurance.
He also left a note on the bumper of the white car, informing the owner about the incident.
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said it was notified about the incident at 4.59pm and sent one ambulance to the scene.
However, the man in his 60s refused help.
PREVIOUS ACCIDENT
Mr Yeo claimed this is not the first time Mr Chng has damaged other vehicles at the carpark.
Around December last year, Mr Yeo said he saw the elderly man's vehicle collide with another neighbour's car.
Mr Yeo said: "When Mr Chng reversed out of the parking lot, he scraped the right front side of my friend's car. My in-car video (camera) captured the whole thing."
Neighbours also told TNP that they have seen Mr Chng walking unsteadily.
Mr Ng, 59, who lives at Block 98, said: "The old man uses a walking aid and holds the rails while walking."
Some residents questioned whether he should be allowed to drive due to his age.
A resident, who wanted to be known as Mr Foo, said: "Sometimes I wonder why he is driving when he is so frail."
Curious, Mr Chai once asked Mr Chng about it and the senior citizen just replied that he drove slowly.
Police said that the case has been referred to the General Insurance Association (GIA).
But the damage is done.
Mr Yeo said: "There's so much heartache if your car is hit, especially if it's in the parking lot."
"I was leaving the carpark when I lost control of the car. I think I accidentally stepped on the accelerator."
- Mr Chng Chor Choo
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