'I tried to save her': Friend weeps beside coffin of 23-year-old woman killed in Yishun car crash

A 23-year-old woman died after a private-hire car she was travelling in with a friend crashed into a public bus in Yishun on Saturday (Aug 2). 

The surviving passenger, Ong Meiyi, 20, said she and her friend Queenie Leong had taken that car home after attending a friend's birthday party at Bedok.

Recounting the incident, Ong told Shin Min Daily News that Leong had fallen asleep on the back seat shortly after getting into the car, while she sat beside her. 

The next thing she knew, the car crashed into a bus in Yishun.

"Everything happened very suddenly. My hand hit the back of the seat, and it hurt. [Leong] might have also hit the front [before she] fell on me," Ong recalled, adding that she suffered a hand injury in the crash. 

Ong noted that Leong fell unconscious and was bleeding from her head, nose, and mouth due to the impact. 

"I called her name and held her hand - she moved slightly. I immediately tried to save her and perform CPR, but one of my hands was badly injured. There was really nothing I could do," said a distraught Ong. 

She added that the driver also appeared visibly distressed after the crash and fainted before opening the door. 

After the crash, Ong exited the vehicle and called for help, with the bus driver stepping forward to assist in contacting the authorities. 

Ong described her bond with Leong as "being like sisters", adding that the loss has left her overwhelmed with guilt and regret for not being able to save her friend as she wept at the wake. 

One of Leong's friend told the family that the driver was allegedly driving erratically prior to the incident and may have fallen asleep at the wheel, reported The Straits Times.

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that a call for assistance was made at about 5.35am to a road traffic accident at the junction of Yishun Avenue 2 and Yishun Central 1 on Aug 2.

A 47-year-old male car driver and his 20-year-old female passenger were conveyed conscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Another 23-year-old female car passenger was conveyed unconscious to the same hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

It was reported that Leong died at about 3pm on August 2. 

Police investigations are ongoing.

The 47-year-old driver has been hospitalised, reported The Straits Times.

A Tower Transit spokesman reportedly said the bus was stationary and waiting at the traffic lights when the accident happened. There were no passengers on board at the time. 

Minutes away from destination

Speaking to the Chinese daily, the deceased's father, Leong Jian Wei (transliteration), said that his daughter was only five to 10 minutes away from her home when the accident occurred. 

"It's hard for us to accept this. [Her] mother even fainted from grief," said the 49-year-old private hire driver. 

He described his daughter as hardworking, caring, and well-loved by her peers and teachers.

According to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central’s Instagram account, Leong graduated with a Higher Nitec in Accounting in 2024 and was recognised as one of the school's outstanding recipients.

"She had a bright future. She used to work in accountancy in Chinatown, [while] studying part-time to earn her own living expenses... We didn't have worry about her," said her father. 

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com