In football, the ball can be passed in all directions and even kicked out of bounds.

In his eagerness to retrieve a soccer ball which had bounced away, a nine-year-old boy appeared to have dashed out to the car park and was nearly run over by a car.

The accident occurred at Block 435 Yishun Avenue 6 at about 3pm on Wednesday (May 22).

Dashcam footage of the accident captured from a parked car and uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante shows a soccer ball bouncing on the road in a car park.

Then a black car appears and nearly runs over the boy, who falls near the front left wheel. It is not clear if he was hit.

The child can be heard crying as the car backs up. He then sits up.

Two other boys — one holding a ball and the other covering his mouth with his hands — walk towards the boy, who is still wailing. A man, believed to be the driver, also appears.

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 3.05pm.

The boy was conscious when conveyed to KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Police investigations are ongoing.

Whose fault was it?

The accident has divided netizens, with some believing that the driver was going too fast and others blaming the boy for his reckless behaviour.

"Why do drivers rush within car parks?" questioned a Facebook user.

"Is this driver driving fast in a car park? He should have been more alert to the surroundings," wrote another.

However, others felt that the driver could not have prevented the accident.

"Totally the kid's fault but unfortunately this is what kids will do. Chase the ball and not check for vehicles. This is why playing football is not allowed at void decks. The kid is just so lucky he can walk away from this," a netizen commented.

Said another: "Which part of the video shows that the driver is rushing? He manages to stop in time the moment he hits the kid. The kid is so small, hidden from the view of other vehicles and dashing out from the unknown, you expect the driver to be able to see the kid?

"Kids being kids still need to be aware of the potential danger when they are dealing on roads with moving vehicles."

Many also urged others not to so quick to dish out blame, and reminded motorists to drive slower and more carefully in car parks and residential areas.

"Don't judge... sometimes it happens too fast and it's hard for driver to react. Maybe there's a blind spot or a bigger vehicle blocking the kid and he dashed out suddenly?" reasoned a Facebook user.

"Reminder to slow down when driving in housing estates, you just never know when something like this can just happen!" said another.

ALSO READ: 'Still have the cheek to stare': Video of woman and child nearly getting hit while crossing road angers netizens

lim.kewei@asiaone.com

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