I can't forgive the driver, says wife of food delivery rider killed in Hougang accident

A man went out on his usual food delivery run on Tuesday (March 23) night, but he never made it home.

The 42-year-old was waiting to make a turn at the intersection of Hougang Avenue 1 and Tampines Road when a yellow Mini Cooper hit him from behind at around 10pm.

The impact threw the man off his power-assisted bicycle and crushed the car's windshield.

Photos circulating on Facebook showed the mangled bicycle lying on the road, as well as a food delivery bag with its contents strewn everywhere.

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The food delivery rider was unconscious when taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the police told AsiaOne. He died of his injuries hours later, leaving behind his wife and their eight-year-old daughter.

The police arrested the 34-year-old male driver for drink-driving and careless driving causing death.

Following the accident, several passers-by approached the injured man to offer help, with some checking on his condition and others shielding him from the rain with an umbrella.

Using the man's phone, one of them called his wife to inform her of the accident.

The deceased's wife told Shin Min Daily News she was startled awake by the call that night and rushed to the scene which was five minutes away from their home.

"I called my husband's name but he didn't respond at all," she said.

In her haste to get to the hospital, she didn't manage to get the contact details of the driver who appeared to be drunk.

"I cannot forgive him and don't wish to see him at the wake," the bereaved woman sobbed, adding that the driver's actions had cost her family a beloved husband and father.

She also thanked the Good Samaritans for their help, saying she is grateful that she could be by her husband's side in his final moments.

As the police investigate the case, the deceased's family is appealing for witnesses to step forward with footage of the accident.

lamminlee@asiaone.com