S'pore man, 68, who fell & died on Segar LRT tracks had low blood sugar, son says

The 68-year-old man who fell in front of an oncoming train at Segar LRT station on May 18 and died may have fallen due to low blood sugar, according to his son.

His son, surname Lu (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that his father was on his way to work when the incident occurred.

“He’s usually the first person to arrive at school and needs to leave very early. He has low blood sugar, which I’ve heard from his friends before. He’s experienced dizziness and discomfort during a few episodes. I suspect that this is why he accidentally fell off the track this time,” he told Shin Min.

The 68-year-old was identified as Lu Xixing (transliteration), a school administrator of a primary school in Sengkang.

Pillar of family

Lu said his father was the pillar of the family.

The elder Lu was the breadwinner of the family and had previously run an agricultural products business, managed a restaurant, and worked as a store manager.

"He learns things very quickly and enjoys interacting with people. Even as he approaches retirement age, he chooses to continue working," Lu shared.

He added that his father was a very responsible and trustworthy person, and was the family's support and role model.

“I didn’t take good care of him, and I feel very guilty for not fulfilling my responsibilities as a son.”

Lu, who is currently working as a salesman, expressed sadness that his father passed just as his own career was starting to take off.

“I’ve always wanted him to be proud of me,” he said.

He vowed that he would take on the responsibility of caring for his mother.

Questions on incident

Lu shared that transport operator SMRT had sent a representative to his home after the incident, but he chose to focus on arranging his father’s funeral first and has not had further discussions with the company since.

“Further investigations cannot bring my father back, but I hope the authorities will review the current safety measures,” he said.

Lu also raised questions about the incident, including whether the gaps between the platform screen doors at the light rail station are too wide, potentially increasing the risk of passengers accidentally falling onto the tracks.

He further questioned whether LRT trains are equipped with a detection system capable of sensing a person or object on the tracks and braking in time to prevent a collision.

According to witnesses, someone pressed the emergency stop button during the incident, Lu noted.

He questioned whether the train would stop immediately once the emergency stop button is activated.

Based on statements released by the authorities, Lu said his father fell onto the tracks at about 5am, police were alerted at around 5:50am, and the Singapore Civil Defence Force received the report at about 6:25am.

He asked what had happened during that period in between.