It could happen to anybody and the thought is scary.
Wife dies, hit by husband’s car in Singapore
According to The Straits Times, on Tuesday, April 25, a 64-year-old woman was severely injured when her husband reversed his car onto her by accident.
The incident apparently occurred at a carpark at Block 332, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, at around 7:50 pm. So shocked was the husband when he realised his folly and heard his wife’s scream, that he panicked, and rammed into the pillars of an HDB block some 10 m away. According to an eye-witness, the car also toppled over two motorbikes in the process.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force was immediately alerted and the wife was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital by ambulance. Sadly, she did not survive.
Police have been quoted as saying, “A 64-year-old woman was unconscious when taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where she subsequently succumbed to her injuries. Investigations are ongoing.”
The eye-witness who called the ambulance has been quoted as saying, “We went out and saw an old woman on the ground with a pool of blood around her head. A man in his 50s or 60s was kneeling on the ground next to her, looking very distraught. He kept saying in Mandarin, ‘she’s my wife, why did I hit her?'”
According to Channel NewsAsia, police are investigating the case as an accident, and so far, no arrests have been made.
Update: Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin revealed in his Facebook post yesterday that the lady who died was Mrs Quek-Ng Siew Fong, senior deputy director at MOM’s foreign manpower management division. He writes on Facebook, “We just lost a well-loved and respected colleague in Singapore Ministry of Manpower. She has been a dedicated officer who actively looked out for the well-being of the workers working here. A most unfortunate and tragic accident and our thoughts are with her family during this time of bereavement.”
Our sincere condolences go out to this family.
Preventing danger
The above scenario could happen to anyone, and one must especially be careful with young children around. Here then are some possible tips to prevent such unfortunate mishaps:
- Take special care to check all around your vehicle for people walking, other vehicles backing up behind you and any other obstructions. Check carefully for children and pets.
- While parking/reversing cars, make sure you check the rear view and side mirrors, and over your shoulder. Also check your blind spot. Signal appropriately, it is safer to have the hazard lights on while reversing.
- Be mindful and vigilant: Today, the mind is constantly fatigued and stressed and unable to focus on any one thing. An overtaxed brain can fail you. One cannot but stress enough on the importance of communication. According to The Straits Times, Ms. Siew Fong had just alighted from the car, and had not shut the door yet, when her husband, who was apparently reversing into the parking lot, hit the accelerator. Many a time, grave mistakes happen because of assumptions and lack of communication.
Also READ: Husband jumps to death in Singapore after killing wife!
(Source: The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia)
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