Funeral services founder, 71, breaks ribs after car hits his van on the way to collect ashes of deceased

The founder of a funeral services company was on his way to collect the ashes of a recently deceased when his van was struck from behind by a car, leaving him with multiple rib fractures and a spinal injury.

According to Chinese language daily Shin Min Daily News, the accident took place at 7:35am on May 3 along the Tampines Expressway (TPE) towards the Seletar Expressway (SLE), after the Punggol Road exit.

Heard a loud bang from behind

Speaking to Shin Min, Lee Chun Nguan, 71, the founder of Nguan Gratitude Services, said he was on his way to Mandai Crematorium to collect the ashes of a deceased at the time of the accident.

He recalled driving on the left-most lane when he suddenly heard a loud bang from behind.

"The vehicle was thrust forward and crashed into the centre divider guardrail," he said.

Disoriented from the impact, Lee said he immediately tried to assess his own injuries.

Several passing motorcyclists who witnessed the crash pulled over to assist him.

Unable to locate his phone in the chaos, he asked one of them to contact his daughter on his behalf.

An ambulance arrived shortly after.

"I only remember getting out of the vehicle on my own, and then I was lying on a stretcher," he said.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed they were alerted to an accident involving a car and a van along TPE towards SLE.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force conveyed one person to Changi General Hospital and another person to Sengkang General Hospital.

A 25-year-old male car driver is currently assisting with investigations.

Suffered rib fractures and spine injury

Lee's son, Johnathan, told Shin Min that he was shocked when he received the call from his sister, and quickly got in touch with the motorcyclist, Chris, to find out more before rushing to Changi General Hospital.

Upon arriving, he found his father with a bleeding head wound, multiple rib fractures, severe abrasions on his right arm and a lumbar spine injury.

Photos provided by Johnathan showed extensive damaged to the rear of the van, with the left side window and rear windshield both completely shattered.

Despite the severity of the accident, Johnathan said his father was fortunate to have escaped more serious harm.

Thanked motorcyclists publicly

Johnathan later took to Facebook to thank Chris and the other motorcyclists publicly.

"When I contacted [Chris], he even handed the phone to my father so we could speak, and helped photograph his injuries," he wrote.

"To the riders who stopped: thank you. You didn’t have to. You had every reason to keep going. You stopped anyway. Our family will not forget it."

The post drew an outpouring of praise online, with many commenters praising the motorcyclists for their quick action.

Lee said that after the accident, the company immediately implemented a contingency plan, with staff stepping in to handle ongoing arrangements and collect the cremated remains from Mandai Crematorium on his behalf.

He added that he is currently unable to sit for extended periods, with pain setting in after about 15 minutes, and will require ongoing physiotherapy to recover.