A very sad news has been reported. Police officer and mother-of-three, Madam Salinah, who was hit by car in Singapore while crossing the road, has died. She was earlier in critical condition and in deep coma at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Her family decided to take her off life support after a CT scan done on 14 February revealed that she was brain dead.
Her devastated husband Mr Indra Shaiful told The New Paper, “I can choose to continue keeping her alive, but she is suffering. We should just accept her fate and let her go.”
Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam posted a tribute on his Facebook page, “Mdm Salinah was a police officer. She was a dedicated officer, with 21 years in service.”
“She leaves behind her husband and three young children. A family torn asunder.”
“We have over the years stepped up education, enforcement, increased the number of cameras, made our cameras very visible, so that drivers’ behaviour will change. But despite these measures, poor driving has been on the increase.”
“Last year we decided that penalties for bad driving, will be increased. We must try and reduce the risk of losing lives from traffic incidents.”
Mum-of-three dies after getting hit by car in Singapore
According to The New Paper (TNP), the fatal accident happened at around 9:20 pm at Maxwell Road, on 10 Feb 2019.
The officer, Madam Salinah Binte Mohamed, 41, had just finished work, and was crossing the road, when she got hit by a car. Madam Salinah is a police staff sergeant at Marina Bay Neighbourhood Police Centre.
The 51-year-old male driver has been arrested for dangerous driving and police are investigating the incident.
Husband Indra Shaiful had earlier told The New Paper that he was home with his children when he got to know of the accident, at around 10 pm.
“I was shocked but quite calm because I didn’t know the severity of the accident. I didn’t want to frighten my kids, so I just told them I’m going to pick up mummy and then rushed to the hospital.”
Just before the accident, Salinah had called him, asking if he wanted to meet her at Waterway Point to buy some groceries.
The incident has left the family shattered. The couple were planning to go on a short trip to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary on 28 February.
“Sometimes now, when I am alone, I break down and cry. But I don’t want to do it in front of the kids. People have been very supportive, and I must be strong for my children”, Mr Indra told TNP.
Their children are aged 12, 11 and 9. The youngest child apparently fell sick with high fever after she found out about her mother’s death. Mr Indra is also extremely worried about his oldest daughter who is taking her PSLE this year.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to this family…and hope that they gain strength to deal with their loss.
Road safety tips for pedestrians
Earlier this year, on 10 Jan 2019, a 66-year-old woman was killed after she was hit by a car while crossing the road in Bukit Batok. Apparently, the driver of the car, a 29-year-old woman, was turning right from Bukit Batok Street 21 onto Bukit Batok East Avenue 6.
She did not see the victim, who was using the pedestrian crossing, until it was too late.
Again, on 3 Feb 2019, a woman was left trapped, and bleeding under a car after the vehicle breached the kerb and hit a tree in Punggol. Three pedestrians were injured in the accident.
In one of the scariest accidents last year, three pedestrians were killed in an accident near Yio Chu Kang MRT station on 23 Apr 2018 when a lorry came hurtling in from nowhere.
Here are some road safety tips for pedestrians, as advised by the Singapore Police Force.
Remember to also teach your children about road safety rules and be a good role model by practising good pedestrian safety habits. Teach them to look for the ‘green man’ at pedestrian crossings.
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Never jaywalk.
Always use pedestrian crossings. Make use of available pedestrian crossing facilities like overhead bridges, zebra crossings, underpasses and traffic signal lights.
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Practise the kerb drill when crossing the road:
Before crossing the road:
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Stop
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Look and check for any vehicles coming in your path.
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Be patient, practise your kerb drill: Look Right. Look Left. Look Right Again.
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Check to see that there are no vehicles or that vehicles have come to a stop.
Raise your hand while crossing to alert motorists. Always be alert for inattentive drivers even at signalised crossings.
- Always use footpaths and walkways for your safety and the safety of other road users.
Never walk along the roads, whenever possible.
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Do not cross at road bends and in between stationary vehicles.
Avoid crossing at road bends because your view is temporarily obstructed. You will be unable to see the oncoming vehicles, and they can’t see you either. Always cross from an area where you have a full view of the traffic.
- Avoid using your phones or other gadgets while walking on the road.
(Source: The New Paper)