Three days after his mother died in a vehicle collision, he heard that a friend and her boyfriend had been involved in a hit-and-run accident.
Toh Wei Xue, 17, also found out that the accident happened on the same day as his mother’s death.
His mother, factory supervisor Lau Lee Kiau, 46, was on her way to work last Saturday when a 17-year-old without a driver’s licence crashed his car into the motorcycle she was on.
The driver fled the scene, but was arrested later the same day.
Feeling suspicious, Wei Xue tried to find out more about that accident, and realised his friends were dodging his questions.
He confronted one of the driver’s friends, who later admitted the truth – Wei Xue’s mother was killed in the same accident.
Wei Xue told The New Paper at his mother’s wake yesterday: “I would not have felt as angry if he had hit my mum and stopped to help.
“He is heartless. He knows who I am, and he knows that I know that he is the culprit, but he has not even apologised.”
Wei Xue also found out that the driver was with his 15-year-old girlfriend during the accident. She is a friend of Wei Xue’s.
He said: “I told my friend to tell him (the driver) to come to the wake to apologise.
“He said he was going to come, but I haven’t heard from him. I don’t think he’s going to come at all.”
More details about Madam Lau’s fatal accident have also emerged.
Lianhe Wanbao
HARROWING
A harrowing video of the crash, captured from an in-car camera, was put up on the Facebook pages of Chinese daily Shin Min Daily News and Roads.sg yesterday.
In the 30-second video, the motorcycle Madam Lau was on and a taxi are seen on the right lane of the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 and Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2.
A car from the opposite direction then crashes into both vehicles.
It also mounts the road divider, and its front bumper is damaged after the collision.
Wei Xue saw the video and recognised his mother’s helmet, which was flung onto the road after the crash.
He said: “I feel sad watching the video, but there is nothing more that we can do.”
Madam Lau’s boyfriend, who was riding the motorcycle, was discharged from hospital yesterday.
The plumber, known only as Mr Lim, 55, had suffered from back and leg fractures, and went through surgery on Monday.
Madam Lau’s oldest sister, 67, said they visited him in hospital, and that he was still guilt-stricken about the accident.
She recalled: “He couldn’t stop crying and blamed himself.
“He said that he should have died in her place because she has two children to take care of.”
Wei Xue said he does not blame his mother’s boyfriend, but he cannot forgive the driver for his mother’s death.
“The maximum penalty for his crime is five years. He can still lead a new life after that,” he said.
“He killed someone and my family has been torn apart by his actions. Doesn’t he feel bad?”
Wei Xue said he is determined to make his mother proud.
He will enrol in a private school next month to take his O levels.
He said: “My mother always wanted me to complete my studies. I will do well this time.”
This article was first published on May 26, 2016.
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