‘We are very lucky that both of them are alive,’ says man whose wife & son injured in Tampines car crash

SINGAPORE: On 22 April, a six-vehicle pile-up occurred at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4, killing two, including a 17-year-old first-year student at Temasek Junior College. Several others were also injured in the collision.

After the accident, a 42-year-old male car driver was arrested, and his driving licence was suspended immediately. He now faces four charges under the Road Traffic Act: dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing hurt, dangerous driving, and failing to stop after an accident.

Read related: Man who caused fatal Tampines pile-up to be charged in court today

Since then, Mr Jim Chua, whose wife and 11-year-old son had been in the accident, penned a heartfelt Facebook post where he wrote, “For those who are not familiar with the accident, we are very lucky that both of them are alive.”

Mr Chua added that after the accident, they experienced “a week of roller-coaster emotions and we experienced fear, sadness, anger and most of all gratefulness.”

He noted, however, that “the trauma and mental scars” that his wife and son sustained “will take more time to heal, and added, “The overwhelming sadness over the loss of innocent lives may take longer to get over.”

Aside from 17-year-old Afifah Munirah, 57-year-old Norzihan Bte Hj Juwahib also passed away due to the collision.

Read also: ‘We lost a bright star’ — Heartfelt tributes pour in from Singaporeans for JC student who passed away in Tampines accident

Noting that he hasn’t posted on social media a lot in the past years, he wrote that there are a few things he believes are important to underline:

(a) Seatbelts saves lives. Especially in the backseat. I will never drive with a passenger not wearing a seatbelt on again.

(b) We were and still are angry but I think it is important not to judge without the full picture. It’s a growing process but I realize that I am not in a position to judge if a person is good or evil. I refuse to allow myself to be pulled down to the level of blind hatred. I am angry that this happened but I will not allow myself to hate.

(c) Whatever inconveniences we face day to day, it’s not that big a deal. Life is really fragile and precious. Things might be taken away in a split second.

Mr Chua ended his post by expressing thankfulness for the people who have reached out to them in the aftermath of the accident, writing that they “feel blessed for your support and love.”

“Thanks to you, a seemingly dark and depressing week ended with eagerness to turn the page and to continue living our lives,” he added. /TISG