Another driver asleep at the wheel, another accident
By Syahirah Anwar and Audrey Tan
SINGAPORE - He was barely able to keep his eyes open and found himself nodding off several times.
Yet Mr Gazalie Omar was behind the wheel of a car - a Bentley.
He kept willing himself to stay focused, but it was a losing battle.
What jolted the 52-year-old back awake was the impact of the more than half-a-million-dollar Bentley colliding into a taxi.
Recalling the episode, Mr Gazalie, now a tour coordinator, told The New Paper: "I remember being extremely shocked by the sound when I hit the taxi in front of me. Colliding into the taxi immediately woke me up."
Fortunately, no one was injured, but the accident cost him his job.
Mr Gazalie, who has two years of driving experience, was a chauffeur for The St Regis Singapore hotel when the accident happened in December last year at 4pm, along Claymore Hill.
Fatigue
He admitted he had driven that day despite his fatigue.
He had been working since early morning on the day of the accident.
"As a chauffeur, my schedule was in accordance to the passengers' flight details.