Knn, another one, jialat liao, TDs sure get more comments and
critics.
Seven-year-old Caleb Lee Jia Xuan is in critical condition after
being hit by a pedestrian walkway railing knocked off its moorings
by a runaway taxi.
The driver of the taxi is believed to have been under the
influence of alcohol when he lost control of his vehicle at a
carpark along Whampoa Road on Wednesday evening, The Straits
Times reported.
The Primary 1 pupil from Kheng Cheng
School, who was halfway through his week-long school
break, is still unconscious after undergoing an operation for his
head injuries.
His aunt, who only wanted to be known as Madam Sng, said, "He's
not out of danger yet, his condition is critical. There's a blood
clot from his head injuries. At this point, we're just praying
he'll be okay."
Sng, who is the sister of the boy's mother, was at the scene but
remained unscathed because she was on the opposite side of the road
from Caleb and his mother.
Caleb's mother, Sng Yee Leng, 38, was with the boy on the
pedestrian walkway outside Wong Poh Kopitiam at the time. She
suffered minor leg injuries.
The family, while keeping vigil at KK Women's and Children's
Hospital yesterday declined to speak to reporters. They said they
wanted to focus on the boy.
Caleb's mother had bandages on her legs, while his father looked
stricken.
Police confirmed that the cabby was arrested on suspicion of
drink driving but said the case is pending investigations.
A Comfort-Delgro spokesman said the
45-year-old taxi driver has been sacked, although it is not known
if he was on duty at the time.
The driver was reportedly driving out of the carpark when he
lost control of the taxi, hit two parked cars, mounted a curb and
slammed into the railing.
The metal structure collapsed and hit both mother and son,
pinning the boy down. The mother escaped direct impact as she was
on her son's left.
Caleb's aunt said the three of them had been on their way to his
home in Block 112, Whampoa Road, less than 200m from the coffee
shop.
According to a stall assistant at the Kopitiam, the taxi driver
was a regular there, but did not usually drink alcohol.
"Usually he would stop by twice a day for some tea or coffee,
just sit here a while and leave -- but this time, he drank some
Tiger Beer," the 60-year-old, who only wanted to be known as Mr
Lim, said.
He added that he heard a loud bang at roughly 10pm on Wednesday,
and saw people running out to see what had happened.
The coffee shop, located next to a bus terminal in Whampoa Road,
is a popular pit stop for taxi drivers.
ComfortDelGro's spokesman said it had visited the family in
hospital and will foot Caleb's medical bills.
"We are shocked that this has happened, and our immediate
concern is the welfare of the boy and his mother. We strongly
condemn drink driving and will assist the police in their
investigations," she said.
Accident claims lawyer Pritam Singh Gill revealed that, although
unusual, the case would probably not qualify as a freak accident,
because if the cabby had indeed been drunk, then the accident
happened because of negligence.
Caleb's school, which is in touch with the family, has offered
support and assistance