A Singaporean man who was left with severe brain injuries following a car accident in Johor Bahru (JB) six years ago was awarded a whopping $4.75 million (RM15.7 million) by the Singapore High Court.
The compensation, which was awarded to Lim Chun Yong in June, may be in the running for the highest sum awarded by the court to a Singaporean citizen who was a victim of a road accident in Malaysia, reported The Straits Times.
Was involved in a 3-vehicle crash
According to the English daily, the accident took place 270m from the Kempas toll plaza on Feb 12, 2018.
Lim, who was 38-years-old at the time, was caught in a three-vehicle collision which involved a semi-trailer, a BMW X3, and a Toyota Innova that he was a passenger in.
None of the vehicles involved were Singapore-registered.
Lim lost consciousness following the crash and was pulled out from the wreck by firefighters. He was then taken to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital before being transfered to the Singapore General Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) the next day.
Although he eventually regained his physical strength, the crash greatly damaged his brain, where he lost all mental capacity and now requires full-time care.
Initially, Lim’s wife was his caregiver, but she was forced to send him to a nursing home as she got exhausted taking care of him and found it difficult to cope with his behavioural disorders caused by the accident.
SG man awarded RM15.7mil for serious brain damage
Later, Lim’s wife filed a lawsuit for negligence, personal injuries and losses sustained against five individuals involved in the crash.
She also named the insurer for the Toyota Innova as the sixth defendent, which was approved by the court.
On June 10, Judicial Commissioner Alex Wong ruled that all five defendants named in the suit were jointly and individually liable for Lim’s injuries.
In a reserved judgment, he ruled that the semi-trailer driver, Mohd Jafri Abdul Hamid, and his employer, Syarikat Continent Lorry Transport were to bear 50% of the blame.
As for the Toyota Innova driver Jeffrey Yap, along with car owner Liew Loy Sang, they were to bear 30% of the blame, while the remaining 20% fell on the BMW driver, Low Woon Hong.
Wong then awarded a total of over S$4.7 million in claims, which were inclusive of the S$1.87 million it cost to care for Lim full-time at the nursing home.
A sum of nearly S$1.6 million was awarded to Lim for loss of future earnings, with Wong opining that Lim was robbed of the chance to work until he retired at the age of 70.
It also included compensation for pain and suffering, medical expenses and future occupational therapy.
It is understood that the defendants have since appealed against the ruling.
READ ALSO:
