Delivery man dies after Woodleigh accident; family was waiting for him to celebrate birthday at home

His family prepared a feast to celebrate his birthday after he knocked off, but Lee Boon Tiam never made it home.

The delivery man, 46, died after his motorcycle collided with a car at the junction of Upper Aljunied Road and Bidadari Park Drive on Monday (Sept 11) night, Shin Min Daily News reported.

He left behind his wife and four children aged between 15 and 23.

Lee's eldest son, Lee Yong Sen , told the Chinese evening daily that he received a call from a "strange woman" at around 8pm.

"She told me my father was involved a traffic accident, and asked us to rush to Tan Tock Seng Hospital," he said.

"My mother, brother and I arrived at about 10pm. We realised the severity of my father's injuries and immediately called my sisters."

Lee, who had fallen into a coma, was suffering from cerebral haemorrhage that required immediate surgery.

Despite the doctors' best efforts, Lee was declared brain dead at 2am the following day.

"The accident happened so suddenly that we couldn't accept it, especially since mum and dad have a deep relationship. She was devastated," Yong Sen said.

Lee's daughter told Shin Min that her parents had moved from Malaysia to Singapore and received permanent residency after working hard for many years.

"Our eldest brother went with them to Singapore to study while my younger siblings and I stayed in Malacca," she said.

Over the years, the couple could only spend time with all their children during the holidays.

The family reunited in Singapore 

"We had planned on travelling to Thailand at the end of this year, but it's no longer possible," she said.

A 'superhero' at home

Lee's family had prepared fried chicken, crabs and bee hoon among other delicious foods that he enjoyed — but the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was a superhero-themed cake.

"To us, dad is just like a superhero, if anything in the house breaks, he can fix it," Lee's daughter said.

"That was why we ordered a 'superhero' cake, but even before we've eaten it, we've had to throw it away."

Lee's son added in a plea to the public: "All we have is footage of my father being rescued after the accident, and we don't know what happened during it. We hope eyewitnesses can come forward and help us out."

Responding to queries by AsiaOne, a police spokesperson said that a 46-year-old male motorcyclist was conveyed unconscious to the hospital following the accident, where he subsequently died. 

A 38-year-old male car driver is assisting with investigations. Police investigations are ongoing.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com