SBS to pay accident victim's funeral expenses
Update 1230pm - SBS statement on victim's funeral expenses
All funeral expenses incurred by the family of the 66-year-old woman involved in a bus accident on Tuesday will be paid by SBS Transit.
Chan Ah Yong, a Malaysian, was involved in a fatal accident while crossing the road at the junction of Sengkang East Way and Compassvale Road.
A statement from SBS Transit on Thursday said, "We had spoken to Mdm Chan's son-in-law yesterday and wanted to tell them that we were paying for all expenses related to the funeral, including repatriation costs."
"But before we could let him know, he told us to call him next week. Not wanting to impose on the family during their time of grief, we respected the request and said no more."
However, on Thursday morning, local media reports said that Chan's daughters had requested for SBS Transit to pay the bill for transporting her body to Malaysia for the funeral.
According to the Straits Times, SBS Transit had asked Kenix Lau, 33, the younger daughter of the deceased, to submit a proposal to their management.
SBS Transit said that the family may have a mistaken impression that the company were still undecided on whether to pay for these costs.
"This could not be further from the truth. To ensure that the family does not have this matter weigh further on their minds, we have again contacted Mdm Chan's son-in-law and told him that all costs related to the funeral will be borne by us. We have also asked that he contact us anytime if he should need further assistance."
The bus operator added, "We are deeply saddened by this accident. We know nothing we do or say can change the fact that a life has been lost and a family is in grief. We can only say we are very very sorry and will do whatever we can to assist the family during this difficult time."
Chan’s funeral will take place in Seremban in Malaysia, where her husband and two sons live, ST reported.
On Tuesday morning, she was just 350m away from her daughter’s flat in Block 232 when she was hit by a SBS bus 159, which was making a right turn at the junction.
The elderly woman was dragged under the bus for about half a minute before the bus driver stopped the bus after being alerted by other motorists. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 14-second YouTube video, taken from a car in the area of the accident, had garnered over 300 views as of Wednesday morning. It has since been removed from the site.
A resident from a HDB estate nearby said that after the accident, the bus driver was seen on the phone and shouted at the passengers to leave the bus.
The bus driver involved in the accident has been suspended from work and is assisting the police with investigations, ST reported.
