Cabby's daughter given assurance of varsity aid: Ferrari-Taxi accident in Rochor Road

By Jalelah Abu Baker & Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 16 May 2012

THE daughter of the cabby killed in last Saturday's crash involving a Ferrari no longer needs to worry about how to pay for her university education.

Law and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam, who is her Member of Parliament, gave her the assurance last night when he went to pay his respects at the wake of her father, Mr Cheng Teck Hock, 52.

Mr Cheng was his family's sole breadwinner.

Mr Shanmugam said he and his grassroots leaders in Nee Soon GRC will do everything they can to help the family.

He said Mr Cheng's 21-year-old daughter Stephanie, who had expressed concerns about how she was to pay for her planned university education, need not worry about it, as long as she qualifies for a place in a university.

He also said an aid package will be put together to take care of the longer-term needs of the Cheng family, including their Housing Board flat.

Details of the package will be worked out with the family.

'What they have is a cast-iron assurance from us that we're here to help them, and we'll take care of them,' he added.

Aid has, in the meantime, also flowed in from the National Taxi Association (NTA) and ComfortDelGro.

Mr Cheng's wife, Madam Lim Choo Eng, 49, expressed her thanks for the help that has come in, including video footage of the accident recorded by cabby Yeo Kim Cheng, which shows the traffic lights were in Mr Cheng's favour.

On Monday, Mr Ang Hin Kee, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC and adviser to the NTA, who was at the wake with NTA representatives, said the association had put together immediate financial aid for the family.

'The most important thing is to provide immediate financial assistance to cover the cost of the funeral and various other daily expenses for the foreseeable few months,' he said.

Mr Cheng's employer ComfortDelGro, besides helping with the funeral arrangements and expenses and expediting the insurance payout, will help the family file legal claims, said its spokesman.

Lawyers The Straits Times spoke to said the crash victims have up to three years from the date of the accident to sue the estate of Ferrari driver Ma Chi for damages, but they should do so immediately. This is because it takes on average six months to a year before such cases are concluded and monies paid out.

The insurance company covering the Ferrari is legally bound by the Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act to handle the claim, whether or not Mr Ma had breached the terms of the insurance policy.

Lawyer Liew Teck Huat of Global Law Alliance, who specialises in insurance and commercial litigation, said that even if the insurer repudiates liability, should Mr Ma be found to have breached any of the terms of the coverage, it must pay out the claim first and then recover this cost from his estate later.

Lawyers also suggested that the victims in this case monitor the proceedings of the coroner's inquiry, as the verdict will suggest who is the liable party.

The likely payout will depend on several factors, such as damages for injuries, future medical expenses and loss of future earnings for the injured parties, and loss of dependency and bereavement for the families of the dead.

Mr Cosmas Gomez, a lawyer specialising in personal injury claims, said: 'In this case the liability is quite clear. What will have to be decided is the quantum of the payout.'