https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/man-who-sought-nearly-3m-over-accident-gets-10000-judge-highlights-attempts-to-inflate-claim

A district judge said the man's opportunistic recollection and strategic exaggeration demolish his credibility.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

SINGAPORE – More than a decade after he was involved in a traffic accident in 2010, a man sought nearly $3 million in compensation from the other driver, alleging that the rear-end collision triggered a cascade of medical conditions.

A district judge, however, said in a written judgment published on April 30 that the case revealed a calculated attempt to manufacture an inflated claim.

Despite being a bankrupt from 1999 to 2013, the plaintiff, Mr Andy Tan Poh Weng, who is now 54, selectively sought treatment at private specialists for conditions he could link to the 2010 accident.

In an attempt to inflate his claim, he falsified tax assessment notices by adding non-existent employment income in 2012 and tried to claim for expenses already paid for by government financial assistance schemes.

Mr Tan withheld his diagnosis of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, knowing it would significantly reduce the amount he could justify claiming for future earnings.

The judge awarded Mr Tan, who is currently unemployed, just over $10,600 as fair compensation for his proven injuries and the expenses associated with these injuries.

District Judge Shen Wanqin said Mr Tan failed to prove that he experienced back pain in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 accident, and she found no basis to award the staggering quantum of damages he sought.

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Mr Tan had been involved in a total of seven traffic accidents.

The current civil suit related to the fifth accident, which took place on May 26, 2010.

Mr Tan was driving a van when a bus driven by the defendant, Mr Jee Lee, rear-ended his vehicle.

After the accident, Mr Tan, who was then 39, was diagnosed with neck and right flank tenderness.

He was given painkillers and a three-day outpatient medical certificate, but returned to work immediately.