A 69-year-old cyclist died from an accident involving a red Maserati and a yellow car on Jan. 5 morning.

The victim was identified as Ong Soh Boey who lived in the vicinity, according to the latest report by the Chinese media Shin Min Daily News.

What happened

On Jan. 5, at around 5:45am, a red Maserati was allegedly going against the traffic when it hit Ong who was crossing at the traffic light along Cantonment road.

Ong was pronounced dead at the scene while the 25-year-old driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death, according to the police.

According to Shin Min, the yellow car which came after ran over Ong after the accident with the red Maserati and dragged her body along for five metres.

The yellow car had left the scene before the police’s arrival.

Deceased took on 3 jobs to stay active

The deceased's 58-year-old brother told the reporter that his sister had operated a sundry shop in Chinatown for 34 years and would open the shop early in the morning every day.

However, he did not see the deceased yesterday when he arrived in the morning. He tried calling Ong but she did not pick up.

"In the end, I answered a call from the police who told me the bad news. I dropped the coffee that she made for me and the cigarette when I heard about it," he recalled.

The deceased's brother described her as a hardworking person who took on three jobs. Besides operating a sundry shop, she also worked as a cleaner and provided laundry service.

After opening her sundry shop, Ong would go to a nearby office to work as a cleaner and would return home at noon.

Her brother added that Ong's children had all grown up and she continued working because she wanted to stay active.

He also revealed that he had ever persuaded his sister to retire, but she did not want to.

"My sister has worked hard all her life, but unfortunately she didn't get to enjoy her life," Ong's brother added.

Ong was also affectionately known as "Sister Mei" among those who worked in Chinatown.

Diagnosed with breast cancer

Ong's brother also said that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2019 and had to undergo treatment, but she did not mention this to outsiders.

Ong was supposed to undergo a second chemotherapy session on Jan. 10, according to her brother.

Single mum who raised 2 daughters

According to Ong's niece, Ong had to raise two daughters as a single mum after her split with the ex-husband about 40 years ago, the Straits Times reported.

Ong's eldest sister, a 72-year-old retiree, told the Chinese reporter that Ong had two marriages when she was alive.

One of her ex-husbands passed away recently.

Appeal for eyewitnesses

Ong's eldest sister also revealed that Ong had started riding a power-assisted bicycle three years ago, and that no accidents had happened before.

Ong's family urges witnesses of the accident to come forth as they wish to bring justice to the victim.

They also hope netizens would stop circulating the video of the accident.

Top photo collage via SG Road Vigilante/Facebook and Isa Lynn/Facebook