High Court awards $4.75 million to victim of road accident in Malaysia

A Singaporean who lost his mental capacity after a road traffic accident in Malaysia six years ago was awarded $4.75 million by the High Court in June.

- K.C. Vijayan

This might be the highest sum awarded so far by a court here to a Singaporean victim of an accident in Malaysia, said lawyer Raj Singh Shergill, who represented the victim, Mr Lim Chun Yong.

Mr Lim was 38 years old at the time of the accident. Since then, he has required full-time care.

More importantly, said Mr Shergill, who was recently rated one of Singapore's top lawyers in an annual survey of the best law firms, the case affirms that victims can pursue legal action in Singapore, rather than in Malaysia, if the circumstances and conditions warrant it.

"Where the pretrial and future losses are primarily incurred in Singapore, the courts will assess personal injury claims based on the merits of the case, regardless of location," he added.

For Mr Shergill, success has come from championing the cause of the layperson against bigger entities in personal injury claims ranging from traffic accidents to medical negligence.

Not only was he named one of the top-rated lawyers in The Straits Times-Statista Best Law Firms 2025 survey, his firm Lee Shergill LLP also topped the list in the field of negligence (professional/accidents/personal injuries). The firm has done well in this area in past surveys.

The survey conducted earlier in 2024 by The Straits Times and Statista identifies the best law firms in 18 fields of law, based on the recommendations of lawyers, clients and others.