Singapore – The 33-year-old migrant worker from Bangladesh who died in an accident along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) on Tuesday (Apr 20) has left behind a two-year-old son, widow, ailing mother and other family members whom he supported financially.
The deceased, Tofazzal Hossain, was travelling on the back of a lorry when the vehicle collided with a stationary tipper truck along PIE. Another 16 migrant workers, aged between 23 and 46, were injured in the accident.
News of the incident was confirmed by the Migrant Workers’ Centre, which said in a Facebook post that it was working closely with the employer of the affected workers to provide them with necessary assistance.
As of Apr 20, nine of the injured workers had been discharged from the hospital after being treated for minor injuries. Meanwhile, the remaining seven individuals are still warded, said MWC. Two of the seven workers are in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Mr Abdul Haziz, the deceased’s brother, told Today that Mr Tofazzal had worked in Singapore since 2009.
Mr Tofazzal, he added, was very close to their 57-year-old mother, who had recently undergone heart surgery.
She had not been informed of her son’s death as she would not survive the news, said Mr Abdul.
“She only knows that her son had an accident.”
Mr Tofazzal’s 63-year-old father is aware of his son’s death. Today noted that the man broke down during a phone interview, adding that his son was a “very good boy” with a beautiful and kind heart.
“Everything is over,” said the father. “Please help us; we are in a very bad situation.”
According to Mr Abdul, his father had just recovered from Covid-19 and is diabetic. Their grandmother had passed away due to Covid-19 complications a month ago.
Mr Abdul revealed that his brother would regularly send them between 30,000 and 50,000 Taka (S$470 to S$784) per month, adding that Mr Tofazzal was the sole breadwinner of the family.
Mr Tofazzal had also remitted 200,000 Taka (approximately S$3,100) for his mother’s open-heart surgery and another 35,000 Taka (S$548) as a contribution for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, reported Today.
In its post, MWC highlighted that the accident took place while the workers were en route to the worksite. “They should be protected under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA),” said MWC.
WICA is a low-cost and quicker alternative to the common law as it lets employees make claims for work-related injuries or diseases without having to file a civil suit under common law, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website.
“MWC will also be contacting the loved ones of the deceased to offer our sympathies as well as to extend interim financial assistance to the family as it will take some time for WICA to be paid out,” said MWC.
Members of the public are also welcome to donate to the affected workers through MWC’s charity arm, the Migrant Workers’ Assistance Fund. Contributions can be made on this website./TISG
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