MORE than a month ago, motorcyclist Ahmad Mohammad Iskandar ran a red light, collided with a taxi and died while being pursued by a police car.
His case was reported in the newspapers, including this one. On 2Aug, a 14-second video clip of that incident surfaced online, posted on the video-sharing website LiveLeak.
The video has also found its way onto local car forum www.mycarforum.com.
The accident happened on 24 Jun at the junction of Sims Avenue and Sims Way.
Mr Ahmad, 23, hit a taxi and died on the spot while his pillion rider fractured his arms and legs.
The video clip looked like it was possibly taken from a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera mounted at the traffic junction.
If so, it is not the first time leaked CCTV footage of deaths in public places has been uploaded online. (See report below.)
The uploaded clip, which is a little shaky, looked as though it had been recorded using a camera during playback of the CCTV footage.
Shot from a high angle, the clip shows a traffic cross junction with a yellow box in the middle.
Several cars are seen stopping at the junction when the traffic light on one side turns red.
A few seconds into the clip, a motorcycle beats the red light and smashes into the side of a taxi approaching from the side.
The impact is so great that parts of the motorcycle are seen flying in different directions.
The video ends abruptly.
Interestingly, the clip also comes with a commentary.
A male voice can be heard describing the accident, as if the person is talking to someone: "Coming already... You see, taxi stopped at red light... then this light, green light... beat the traffic light, "kena" (hit)."
How did the video footage get out?
The authorities - the Land Transport Authority and the traffic police - said that they are investigating.
Meanwhile, the clip has generated animated discussions on the Net. Discussions among netizens ranged from the authenticity of the clip, to how it leaked out and even how useful it may be for investigations.
One netizen, who signed off as Bsbs, asked: "This looks like the Sims Avenue case. How did this clip leak out? A life is ended in a split second."
Another netizen, testa_ross4, wrote: "This would definitely help in accident investigations."
Unauthorised clips of MRT deaths
UNAUTHORISED footage of two MRT train station suicides created a buzz on the Internet last year.
The first clip showed a man, who was hiding under a train platform, crawling onto the tracks moments before a train runs over him at Yishun MRT station on 5 Dec 2006.
That clip was posted on video-sharing website YouTube last February.
The second clip showed a man leaping in front of a train at Admiralty MRT station on 2 Dec last year.
It also made the rounds on theInternet.
The police investigated both cases and said they have sent their findings to SMRT for its follow-up action, The Straits Times reported last March.
SMRT confirmed that both clips were "unauthorised copies" - someone with access to the original CCTV footage might have recorded them with his own camera.
It said it was reviewing its processes to ensure "strict adherence" of all instructions and procedures in places that control access to the CCTVs.
This article was first published in The New Paper on 5 August 2008.
