JURONG CARPARK SPAT - Driver says sorry to dead man's family

JURONG CARPARK SPAT - Driver says sorry to dead man's family

By Chong Shin Yen
February 17, 2009

HE WAS dusting his car mat by smacking it against a carpark pillar.


HEALTH-CONSCIOUS: Mr Tan (below) exercised regularly and was given a clean bill of health in a recent check-up. (Above) His body is seen in the main picture, covered with a sheet, in front of his Honda Civic. The man in the middle is Mr Chong, who had parked his car (right) one lot away from Mr Tan's. PICTURES: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS


But when some of the dirt landed on Mr Tan Chin Seng's freshly washed car, the 52-year-old retiree became agitated.

He then had a heart attack and died.

The incident happened at a multi-storey carpark at Jurong West Street 61, around noon on Thursday.

Mr Tan's death has left Mr Chong, the man who was dusting his mat, shaken.

Mr Chong, 33, who is self-employed, declined to give his full name.

He told The New Paper: 'It didn't occur to me that he would be so upset over it.

'I'm distraught. More so since it was indirectly because of what I did.'

Mr Chong had parked his car about 2m from Mr Tan's car at the washing bay on the ground floor.
Click to see larger image

Mr Tan had just finished washing his three-year-old Honda Civic.

Mr Chong said he removed the mat from the driver's seat and hit it against the pillar next to his car.

When Mr Tan saw what he had done, he got angry and shouted at him.

Mr Chong claimed: 'He came towards me and chided me for dirtying his car. He said he had just washed it. I was scared and feared for my life.'

Mr Chong said he kept quiet because he did not want to agitate Mr Tan further.

But he was worried that things could get rough. So he decided to call the police and told Mr Tan not to leave.

'While I was on the phone, I saw him clasping his chest. He was also panting heavily,' said Mr Chong.

'Then he suddenly collapsed. I rushed to help him up but I panicked because I didn't know how to revive him.'

Mr Chong then frantically called for an ambulance but Mr Tan was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.30pm.

The police have classified the case as unnatural death and are investigating.

Mr Chong said he was so disturbed by what happened that he could not eat or sleep that night.

The next day, he decided to go to Mr Tan's wake.

'I had to tell his family that I had done whatever I could to try to save him,' said Mr Chong.

'I felt I owed them an explanation about what happened that day.'

Comfort
Mr Chong's presence at the wake provided some comfort to Mr Tan's family.

The dead man's son, Mr Tan Soon Heng, 30, a technician, said the family does not bear any hard feelings towards Mr Chong.

'He looked sincere when he came to my father's wake. He also said sorry for causing his death indirectly,' said Mr Tan.

'My father spoke loudly as he previously worked as a hawker and was used to raising his voice. Maybe he (Mr Chong) could have misunderstood that my father was trying to pick a fight.'

Mr Chong stayed at the wake for about 45 minutes.

Mr Tan described his father as a mild-mannered person who did not lose his temper easily.

'He was a man of principles and would try to reason first rather than exchange angry words,' said Mr Tan.

'My dad must have been really agitated to have suffered a sudden heart attack.'

He added that his father had no history of health problems and was given a clean bill of health during a recent medical check-up.

His father's death certificate stated that he died of a heart attack.

'We can't believe he died just like that. He was perfectly all right that morning and had gone to buy breakfast for us before he went to wash his car,' said Mr Tan.

He was on his way to work when he received a call from his distraught mother.

He rushed to the carpark in a taxi only to see his father's body lying in front of his car.

'I lifted his hand to feel for his pulse, but there was none,' said Mr Tan.

He said his father loved his car a lot and took good care of it. He would wash it twice a week.

Mr Tan's parents used to run a fruit stall at Golden Shoe Complex before they retired about two years ago.

'My siblings and I are able to support them, and didn't want them to work too hard. We asked them to retire early so that they could enjoy life,' said Mr Tan.

He added that his father became more health-conscious after his retirement and exercised regularly by climbing Bukit Timah Hill thrice a week with his friends.

'It makes it harder for us to accept it because he had lost his life over such a trivial matter.'

The elder Mr Tan left behind his wife and three grown-up children. His funeral will be held today.

Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,193083,00.html?