The roads can be an unpredictable place, especially for children who drivers have a harder time spotting.
Back in April, an unfortunate accident at the exit of SAFRA Toa Payoh resulted in the death of a 6-year-old boy.
On Tuesday (16 Nov), the state coroner ruled the incident as an unfortunate and tragic traffic misadventure.
On Tuesday (16 Nov), the state coroner shared that there was no foul play involved in the boy’s death.
He continued that this was a tragic loss of a young life.
Inevitably, he said the responsibility lies with parents to be additionally vigilant with young children they are accompanying on the road.
The accident was ruled to be an unfortunate and tragic traffic misadventure, reported Yahoo News.
At about 2.30pm on 15 Apr, the 6-year-old boy was heading to SAFRA Toa Payoh playground with his mother and 2 brothers.
Raining heavily then, the boy and his elder brother rode scooters while his mother held onto her youngest son’s hands.
At the time, Chua was driving out of the SAFRA Toa Payoh basement carpark.
The elder brother stopped before the zebra crossing across the carpark exit, only crossing when Chua came to a stop.
Shortly after the elder brother crossed, Chua moved his car forward. However, the 6-year-old boy rode his scooter towards the zebra crossing at the same time without stopping to check for traffic.
According to Yahoo News, the boy tried to avoid colliding with the car by leaning or turning his scooter. He appears to have slipped and fallen on the road.
However, the state coroner determined that the 6-year-old fell on the road due to his forward momentum instead.
This led to the car running over the boy and his scooter.
The car reportedly moved 2 car lengths before stopping with the scooter emerging from its rear right tyre.
Reporting his findings, the state coroner said it was likely that Chua stopped the car upon seeing the boy’s mother running forward and gesturing. He probably also felt the impact and the sound produced.
Upon seeing the 6-year-old trapped under his car, Chua turned the engine off and lifted the car with his vehicle jack lift. Another motorist also used their vehicle jack lift for the same purpose.
Chua’s passenger immediately called for an ambulance and paramedics later extracted the boy from under the vehicle.
The boy was then conveyed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, reported Shin Min Daily News.
There, his parents were told there was a high likelihood of irreversible brain injury and brain death.
His parents decided to withdraw his care and the boy was pronounced dead on 20 Apr — 5 days after the accident occurred.
Following that, his family donated his heart.
This was certainly a heart-wrenching accident.
MS News sends our deepest condolences to the boy’s loved ones and hopes they can gain closure and heal from the trauma of the incident over time.
This accident is also a poignant reminder for all road users, especially parents of young children, to stay vigilant and instil the same habits in their children.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Google Maps.
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