Last December, 75-year-old Cai Tianlai (transliterated from Chinese) was allegedly hit by a garbage cart in Boon Lay.
His eldest daughter Cai Liling (transliterated from Chinese) claimed that her father fractured his left hand and hip and had to undergo surgery.
The elderly man suffered a cardiac arrest soon after on 4 Jan. His condition worsened over the next few days and he passed away on Sunday (7 Jan).
The family is now appealing for witnesses in hopes of learning how the accident occurred.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the accident occurred at about 3pm on 23 Dec 2023. Mr Cai was at a zebra crossing outside Boon Lay Shopping Centre.
Source: Google Maps
His daughter, Ms Cai, claimed an electric garbage cart crashed into him, knocking him down.
Mr Cai suffered serious injuries and could not move from the ground. A kind passer-by subsequently contacted the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and his family members.
At the hospital, doctors assessed that Mr Cai had fractured his left arm and hip. The 75-year-old was scheduled to undergo surgery the next day.
A few days after the accident, the Cai family contacted the town council.
The cleaning company, which owned the garbage cart also reached out to them, claiming they had identified the employee involved.
On 4 Jan, Mr Cai suffered a cardiac arrest and his condition took a turn for the worse. Doctors managed to resuscitate him but couldn’t do much to improve his condition.
Mr Cai then developed a high fever on 7 Jan, causing doctors to intubate him. The Cai family eventually made the difficult decision to let him go instead of prolonging his suffering.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
After her father became critically ill, Ms Cai sent another email to the town council. The family also contacted the cleaning company but was only told that the company had taken the employee involved to lodge a police report.
Still unaware of how the whole accident occurred, the Cai family is appealing for witnesses.
“It’s been so long but we still don’t know the truth,” Ms Cai said. “We hope someone will take responsibility, give us an explanation, and let my father have justice.”
Ms Cai alleged that the garbage cart driver carried on without stopping after the accident,
The cleaning company told me that the driver said he returned to the scene and found Mr Cai doing alright.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
However, Ms Cai’s father said he only remembered a migrant worker giving him some water to drink but stopped short of asking about his condition.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, an executive from the cleaning company said the town council notified them of the incident.
After speaking to the employee involved, folks from the cleaning company brought him to the police station to lodge a report.
Mr Lin also stated that a company representative had visited Mr Cai in the hospital together with someone from the town council.
He emphasised that the company needed time to look into the accident.
Nonetheless, they promised to give the deceased’s family a proper explanation afterwards.
The police are investigating the case.
Mr Cai’s children remembered their deceased father as someone outgoing and full of energy. They said he loved celebrating Chinese New Year and even hoped to be discharged early enough to celebrate the occasion with his family.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The family had also planned to celebrate Mr Cai’s birthday on 8 Feb, which falls just two days before the first day of CNY.
Last year, an elderly woman was reportedly knocked down by a garbage truck in Bedok.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
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