Singapore—The name and nationality of the cyclist killed on Friday night (Mar 19) after he was trapped under an SBS bus at Loyang Avenue have been released.
Thirty-one-year-old German Gonzales, a Filipino national, had been working in Singapore for two years as an aircraft technician.
His wife, Ms Shiela Marie Gonzales, told Chinese-language evening daily Lianhe Wanbao that her husband had been looking forward to seeing the family once more.
The couple spoke on the phone daily while he worked in Singapore, according to The New Paper.
The police were alerted to an accident on Mar 19, at 10.33 pm, at the junction of Loyang Avenue and Pasir Ris Drive 1, reported mothership.sg.
It resulted in the arrest of a 63-year-old SBS Transit bus driver for careless driving causing death.
The incident is currently under police investigation.
News reports say that the front wheel of Mr Gonzales’ bike had got trapped under the wheel of the bus and that the cyclist had been dragged for about 30 metres.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had to use lifting equipment to extricate him from the vehicle.
According to the police, the cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.
Lianhe Wanbao reports that Mr Gonzles and his wife have two boys, aged eight and nine.
The couple last spoke on Thursday night, with the aircraft technician telling his wife that he hoped to come home after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic and see her and their sons.
Ms Gonzales told the Chinese daily, “I didn’t think that his life would end just like that.
“My heart really hurts, and I don’t know what to do.
“He always uses his bicycle to get to work, so I don’t know where he was going that night.”
She added that their two sons have not stopped crying since they heard of the accident that took their father’s life.
Mr Gonzales’ remains are scheduled to be flown back to the Philippines on Monday (Mar 22), and his wife’s uncle has taken over funeral arrangements for the aircraft technician.
In a Facebook post, Ms Gonzales wrote to her husband, “Let us travel again, I will still be by your side. I hope this is all just a dream,” Shin Min Daily News reported.
After the accident, Ms Tammy Tan, SBS Transit’s senior vice-president of corporate communications, was quoted as saying, “We are sorry that this has happened. The bus was travelling straight and about to make a right turn at the traffic junction which was green in its favour when the accident occurred.
“We are trying to get in touch with the cyclist’s next-of-kin to extend our deepest condolences and offer our assistance.”
Ms Tan also confirmed SBS Transit’s assistance in police investigations.
/TISG
Read also: Cyclist dies in accident at Loyang Avenue, SBS bus driver arrested for careless driving
Young girl cycling on CTE prompts calls for stricter enforcement of the law