Father of eight-year-old who died after being hit by a car describes ordeal as 'nightmare'

SINGAPORE - The father of an eight-year-old boy killed in a road accident has described his family's ordeal as "a nightmare you don't wake up from".

Galen Ong was hit by a car on Eu Tong Sen Street going in the direction of Hill Street at around 6.30pm on Wednesday (Dec 9).

Speaking to The Straits Times on Friday (Dec 11) at Mount Vernon Parlour where Galen's wake is being held, 40-year-old consultant Filton Ong said his son and four-year-old daughter were close.

"My boy takes care of her whenever we go out," said Mr Ong, whose wife is a 38-year-old administrator. "We brought her here but she may not grasp the concept of death.

"My wife and I will be taking a break from work and see how we are going to adapt. Our family and friends have been showing support."

Galen was on his way home from Delta Swimming Complex with his grandfather, 66-year-old Tan Tiong Him, when the accident happened.

It was reported that the car which hit Galen tried to stop, but was hit from behind by another car.

Galen was reportedly flung 3m by the impact and was taken to Singapore General Hospital. Mr Tan, his maternal grandfather, suffered minor scratches.

Mr Ong said they decided to stop Galen's life support treatment later that night as he had bleeding in his brain and was sustained by machines and medication.

"(He was being kept alive) by the maximum dose of medication... so we decided to let him go," he said, visibly distraught. "We also have to monitor (my father-in-law) to ensure that he's feeling okay."

Police are looking into the accident and no arrests have been made so far, though two motorists are helping with investigations.

The number of traffic accidents involving children 12 and below is on the rise.

According to police statistics, there were 179 such cases between January and September this year, a 20 per cent jump from the same period last year. None of the accidents resulted in fatalities.

There were two fatal accidents out of the 199 cases involving children for the whole of last year.

This article was first published on Dec 11, 2015.
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