Rilek1Corner

Tag: accident

  • On Death Of SSG Nadzrie Matin: Let Us All Just Be Humans

    On Death Of SSG Nadzrie Matin: Let Us All Just Be Humans

    Some of you may be shocked at the over powering grief.. some suprised with the profile pic changes.. some may feel its no big a deal… some may even be happy and say as a TP officer he deserved it… but let me share what I do know

    He must have woken up early this morning like every other Muslim for Sahur… he must have shared a meal with his wife and his loved ones at home.. little did anyone know that was the last meal together as a family

    He would have gone to work and changed into his whites.. the rest of the male team mates together with him sharing the usual banter and tcss.. little did anyone know that be the last time he was getting into his whites

    He would then have attended inpection and briefing by his TL.. the TL talking about the lastest instructions and other matters of the day.. little did anyone know thats the last briefing he attended

    He wld have gone to the garage, checked his motorcycle and loaded his equipment.. same time talking anf laughing with hia fellow team mates..

    He wld have put on his helmet.. radioed in to his colleagues and checked in his call sign before leaving TP…..

    He wld have rode to the main gate.. smiled and waved at the sentry and tuned out from the station.. little did anyone know he was never coming back

    Today, someone lost a son, husband, brother, best friend, colleague… everyone who knows him is left to come to terms on what has happened and find solace n strenght to carry on

    You may say his death is no diffrent to any other fatal road accident.. the loss, the grief, the ppl affected… i totally agree with that view….

    but….

    He was the thin blue line that seperates the good from the bad… just like every other police officer of any rank and any vocation… so although I never knew him, it pains n hurts me to see the videos n pics being circulated…. the helpless npco holding on to him, hands covered in blood without gloves….. the TP IOs having to secure the scene.. the bosses who had to break the news to the family

    Its been a trying day for the SPF… life will still go on… police cars will patrol, tp bikes will chase, road blocks will still continie… just cut the TP boys n gals some slack with the comments and viral videos.. let us grieve for one of us without distractions

    Lets just be human

    RIP SSGT Nadzrie

     

    Source: Ramesh Vincent

  • Singaporeans’ Public Apathy Is A Tragedy Waiting To Happen

    Singaporeans’ Public Apathy Is A Tragedy Waiting To Happen

    A more personal and intimate experience sharing about public apathy.

    More than 10 years ago, my dad was involved in a traffic accident. A TransitLink bus rammed into him in the wee hours of the morning when he was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing. His skull was fractured and several of his ribs broke. He made it to the hospital but he didn’t stand a chance. He was 70, healthy and semi-retired, ready for his golden years. But it was not to be.

    My siblings and I staked out at the bus stop near the accident site daily for a week after the accident, talking to people who may have seen the accident. We wanted to find out what happened and get witnesses for the police.

    We heard from a few witnesses that after the impact, the bus stopped. There was only one person who went up to my dad to tend to him – an ang mo woman who was a passenger on the bus. No one else helped, although others may have called the police and an ambulance.

    What happened next was sad and infuriating. Upon hearing stories from the few witnesses, we identified ourselves as family of the deceased and asked if they would go to the police to report what they had seen. We emphasized that we wanted them to testify what they saw, and not put blame on any party. All of them flat-out refused immediately. When pressed, one of them said he didn’t see anything, when moments ago he animatedly recounted the entire accident to us. Another avoided us the following morning when she spotted us. Every single one of these witnesses were Singaporeans. None of them came forward to the police. Regrettably, we did not manage to find the ang mo lady who tended to my dad to express our appreciation. Was he conscious? Did she soothe him with words or touch? Whatever she did, we thank her from the bottom of our hearts for stepping up to check on him while everyone else stayed away.

    I’ve always thought this experience has similar behavioural undertones to a less tragic and more common one. Many of us have encountered situations in Singapore where someone cuts queue, and everyone would be very annoyed but no one dares voice displeasure. If anyone in the queue stood out to admonish the queue cutter, that person is very likely to be a westerner. So much for our much touted “Asian” or “Confucius” values.

    Back to my dad’s accident. Police investigations eventually revealed that the bus driver, who was an elderly Malaysian man, was at fault because he was beating the red light. The next tragic joke was that the driver jumped bail and slipped back into Malaysia. The police did not explain how was that possible. TransitLink apologized and paid a meager compensation. A few years later, we heard from the police that the bus driver passed away in Malaysia of old age. We bear no grudges. Closure.

    What was etched permanently in my memory was how the witnesses refused to come forward, when the inconvenience to them was merely a couple of hours at the police station. I remember how I looked them in the eye and pleaded with them while they averted my gaze and manufactured clumsy excuses.

    This episode taught me an unforgettable lesson about public apathy in Singapore.

     

    Source: Perry Tan

  • 13 Year Old Student Dies After Goal Post Hits Him In Freak Accident At Geylang

    13 Year Old Student Dies After Goal Post Hits Him In Freak Accident At Geylang

    A 13-year-old schoolboy died in hospital on Monday (April 24) after being struck by a goal post during physical education class.

    The Straits Times understands that the incident took place sometime after 9am at Geylang Methodist Secondary School, which is in Geylang East Central.

    The boy had been playing football with his classmates in the morning when he grabbed onto the goal post. It fell on him, and hit his head.

    He was sent to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and died later. His schoolmates were later informed of the incident.

     

    Rilek1Corner

    Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/

  • Man Died After Hit By Train At Bukit Panjang LRT

    Man Died After Hit By Train At Bukit Panjang LRT

    A man died after he was hit by a train on the Bukit Panjang LRT early Friday (March 24) morning.

    The Straits Times understands that the man had fallen onto the track at Fajar Station around 1am.

    The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance at 1.05am and sent one fire engine and one ambulance.

    “A male Chinese was pronounced dead at scene by paramedics,” SCDF said.

    While many residents said they did not notice anything unusual last night, some heard noises from the station.

    “I heard a scratching noise and a boom around 1am, but I thought it was just workers working,” said domestic helper Ms Asrotulida, who goes by one name.

    “I didn’t look to see what happened, and went back to sleep as it was late,” said the 30-year-old, who lives near the station. “Sometimes, there is noise due to the works downstairs.”

    When ST visited Fajar station on Friday morning, services appeared to be operating as per normal.

     

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • One Year On, Mother Of MRT Accident Victim Says The Family Does Not Blame Anyone

    One Year On, Mother Of MRT Accident Victim Says The Family Does Not Blame Anyone

    Madam Norizan Ismail still remembers the exact question from her husband that sparked her fears that their son Nasrulhudin Najumudin may have been involved in a train accident near the Pasir Ris MRT station.

    “Did Nasrul contact you?” her husband Najumudin Mohd Sahabudin, a technical officer who works in SMRT, asked on the phone.

    He was then managing the crowd after train services were suspended following the accident on March 22 last year, and rang home after hearing that the victims were from their son’s department.

    When Madam Norizan, 55, later received confirmation that her 26-year-old son was one of the two fatalities, she broke down: “I was speechless. I felt my entire body shaking… I just cried.”

    To this day, she gets emotional thinking about her son, who died along with Mr Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, in the accident.

    Not long after she got home that day, SMRT’s chief executive and her son’s manager arrived to explain what had happened, she said.

    “They supported us,” she added simply of the company.

    She said SMRT provided her family and Mr Asyraf’s family with cars for them to visit the graves in the weeks following the accident. The pair were buried side by side.

    Both families held prayers last week to mark the anniversary of the two victims’ deaths.

    Madam Norizan said the most emotional period for her close-knit family in the past year was having to spend their first Hari Raya without Mr Nasrulhudin.

    “Before that incident, once or twice a year, we would have a family holiday,” she said, reminiscing about their last trip to Malaysia, in January last year. “We always made an effort to spend time together.”

    Despite the pain, Madam Norizan, who revealed that she prays for her third son every day, appeared forgiving towards the SMRT.

    The rail operator was fined $400,000 last month for failing to take the necessary measures to ensure the safety and health of employees who had to access the train tracks during traffic hours.

    “When we read about it (the fine), we felt bad,” said the customer service supervisor.

    “As far as our family is concerned, nobody wanted this to happen. We are not blaming anyone.

    “Even the supervisor… He has suffered enough because of this incident. It must have been traumatic for him.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com