Tragic Twist, Expertly Explained
On a quiet evening in late April, Madam Ng Siew Fong, a 64‑year‑old senior deputy director at the Ministry of Manpower, was swept into a scene that feels like a scene from a bad movie—except it was all too real.
The “Reverse” Incident
- While standing beside her 67‑year‑old husband’s car, the vehicle slipped into reverse.
- The passenger door, left open, became the unlikely bat‑wing that sliced through Madam Ng’s side.
- Her body hit the front left tyre, causing a fatal head injury.
Insights from the Coroner
The Singapore State Coroner, Kamala Ponnampalam, shook with heavy fingers between facts and feelings after the inquest. She confirmed that no foul play was involved, calling the death an “unfortunate traffic misadventure.” The tragic turn of events seemed to hinge on a few clear missteps:
- Mr Quek Chin Leng (retired defense personnel, i.e., the “adult” in a car with no adult) panicked upon hearing his wife’s scream, and mistook the brake for the accelerator.
- He set the vehicle in motion without scrolling through the menu of “is it safe?”—no, the open door was a red flag.
- At a lurid 7 pm hour, the pair sought guidance from a fellow motorist, Chin Chiap Shing, who handed them directions as if he were a GPS.
What Went Wrong?
When the vehicle was parked near Block 332 on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, the couple had to leave the car to thank the kindly driver. While Mr Quek was exchanging thanks and a few rupees, the deadly sequence unfolded. The “reverse” ominously triggered the lethal knife‑edge close‑contact with the damaged door.
The Result
A rounds‑up ambulance whisked Madam Ng to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she was pronounced dead that same evening. Her passing left colleagues and the community to reconcile a swift tragedy—the only clear culprit: a very ill‑timed shift from brake to accelerator. The coroner neatly summates that no one could have predicted the outcome with a single cheap standard of safe‑driving—i.e., check the door and don’t run in reverse while expecting a polite thank‑you.
Takeaway
In times, so fragile, it’s worth discussing how simple mistakes—like forgetting whether a door is closed—can translate into hard‑to‑recover accidents. This solemn reminder tells drivers (and any user of vehicles) to double‑check the basics before hitting the gas. The conclusion? Life is a series of moments waiting to swing into the unexpected, and in this case, the lesson rings louder.
