8/14/2019 Samuel, poor chap, hopes he recovers and gets well
soon!
4/4
whenhe tries tohelpMan leftseriously
injuredwhilecrossingroadatPIEaccidentsceneREPORT: CHONG SHIN
[email protected] the kind of person who would go ou t
ofhis wayt o help total strangers.So it came as no srnprise that
when Mr SamuelChua He Liang saw an accident on the
Pan-IslandExpressway (pIE) on Wednesday, he stopped his carright
there to see if anyone needed help.But while he was crossing to the
road shoulder, hewas hit by a taxi and flung about five car-lengths
away.(See infographics, above)
The ironywas, it turned outthat no one was injuredin the earlier
collision.Mr Chua, 22, suffered serious head and leg
injuries,andwas rushed to the Singapore General Hospital.
He was unconscious and remains in the intensivecare unit.His
father, who wanted to be known only asMr Chua, told The New Paper
that doctors have toldhim to be prepared for the worst.
Mr Chua, a hypnotherapist in his 50s, said: "It'stypical of him
(Samuel). Whenever he sees someoneneedinghelp, he neverhesitates to
offera hand ."I'm proud that I have a considerate and helpfulson.
Butwhy didthishave to happen to him?"Samuel has undergone two head
operations, eac hlasting sixhours. Both his legs were also
fractured.The accident happened on the PIE towards ChangiAirport,
near the Adam Road exit, around 11.45pm onWednesday.Minute s
earlier, the police had received a call abouta collision between a
ca r and an SMRT bus.
The carwas behind the bus and both vehicles endedup on the
second lane from the right.Samuel, who was driving his Subaru WRX,
stoppedhis car behind the accident vehicles on the
four-laneexpressway.
He then got out and attempted to cross the twolaneson the left,
to the road shoulderwhere the passengers of the
accidentvehicleswere.It appeared that Samuelwas going over to see
if theyneeded help.But before he reached the road shoulder, he was
hitby an oncomingtaxi. The impactflunghim 20m away.
The taxi driver and his passengerwere not injured.A police
spokesm an said the taxi driver is assistingthem in their
investigations.In bad shape
Mr Chua said the family rushed to the hospital assoon as they
got a call from the police, bu t Samuel wasalready in the operation
theatre.
MrChua sawhis son after the six-hour operation."He was in bad
shape and his head was swollen.(Yesterday) morning, they operated
on him again bu this condition has showed little improvement,"
saidMrChua.Samuel was also givenfive packets ofblood.
Mr Chua said that before the accident, Samuel hadjust dropped
his girlfriend at her home. It was no tknown where he was
travelling to after that.Said Mr Chua: "He hasn't woken up but when
Iheld his hand and told him 'Samuel, Daddy lovesyou', I could see
tears rollingdown his face.
"We are all prayingfor him."Samuel's parents and relatives were
keeping vigil atthe neuroscien ce intensive care unit. .They took
turns to see and talk to him, hoping that
he would come outofhis coma soon.Tears welling up in his eyes,
Mr Chua said that sinceyoung, Samuel had always been helpful and
considerate."He would help the elderly cross the road. If he
sawbeggars on the street, he would not hesitate to give
them money," said Mr Chua."He also never rejected his friends
who wanted toborrow moneyfrom him."At times, he would complain to
me that his friendsdid no t return the money. But the next time, he
would
gladly lend them money again."Mr Chua describes his son as an
active and sportyma n who likes swirnrningand martial arts.Samuel's
maternal uncle, who did not want to be
named, added that since young, Samu el had alwaysenjoyed
"playing the hero" and liked to stand up forhis friends.
Shaking his head, the uncle said: "He was playingthe Good
Samaritan again this time, but this had tohappen."
Mr Chua said that his son had recently compl etedhis nationa l
service and is waiting to be enrolled into auniversity."He hadn't
made up his mind which universityto goto, bu t he told me that he
would probably do market
ing-related courses," he said.Samuel had bought the Subaru two
days before theaccident. It was his second car.He has an elder
brother, 25.Witnesses ca n call the Traffic Police at
1800-547 1818.
