S'porean man, 26, dies in 3-vehicle crash in M'sia while returning home from ORD trip with friends

A 26-year-old man recently died in a three-vehicle crash that occurred along the Senai-Desaru Expressway in Johor, Malaysia on Sep. 19.

The man was a Singaporean who had recently completed his national service.

He was returning home from an ORD trip with friends when he met with the fatal accident.

Accident

According to New Straits Times, the Sep. 19 crash involved:

• a Perodua Myvi carrying four passengers and a driver,
• a Proton Exora with one passenger,
• and a Mazda driven by a 30-year-old man.

The Singaporean, Chua Bing Xuan, was travelling in the Perodua Myvi, which was driven by a 21-year-old.

The local police chief superintendent said that authorities received reports from the public about the crash at 11:50am on Sep. 19.

He also said that the crash was believed to have occurred when the Perodua Myvi attempted to overtake a vehicle but crashed into the oncoming Proton Exora.

Six others were seriously injured in the accident.

Malaysian media reports did not identify Chua as a Singaporean.

On the way home from ORD trip

Chua's family has taken to social media to remember him.

In one of their posts on TikTok, a family member pointed out the absence of Chua's nationality in Malaysian media reports.

Speaking to Mothership, the TikTok user shared that he was Chua's older brother, and one of the two siblings.

Going by Kris, the older brother said Chua had just completed his national service about two months ago in July.

He was on an ORD trip with four of his NS friends, who are Permanent Residents.

"They had gone to Desaru together and were on their way back when the accident happened," Kris said.

The group of friends were travelling together in the same car at the time of the accident.

One of them was driving, and Chua was seated in the front passenger seat.

Shock, tears

According to Kris, they learned about what happened to Chua when a funeral undertaker knocked on their doors at around 4pm on Sep. 19.

"When we were told that Bing Xuan had passed away, our hearts sank. We were in complete shock and tears just started flowing," the older sibling recalled.

The family then rushed to the hospital in Malaysia to identify Chua's body and bring him home.

For that, they enlisted the help of a funeral parlour and reached out to Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who rendered assistance.

Not speculating on cause of accident

Commenting on the accident, Kris said that the family understood that it is still under investigation.

He added that they did not wish to speculate about the cause or place blame on anyone until the full investigation report is out.

The older brother also shared that the car's driver had been seriously injured and was placed under intensive care before regaining consciousness three to four days after the accident.

The driver's father subsequently reached out to Chua's family.

"As a Buddhist family, we believe in compassion and forgiveness. During Bing Xuan's wake, knowing that his friends were also seriously injured, we spoke to Bing Xuan and asked him to protect and help his friends," Kris said.

"At the end of the day, we can only choose forgiveness," he added.

Was readying for next stage of life

Kris said that his younger brother was at the "transition stage" before starting his working life.

The 26-year-old had been looking for jobs, attending interviews and "preparing to begin the next stage of his life".

The family had also just celebrated his 26th birthday on Sep. 14, the same week of his trip to Malaysia.

"So, everything happened before he or our family had the chance to properly prepare for his future, including things like insurance coverage," Kris said.

It has been an "extremely difficult" time for the family, especially Chua's mother.

"My mother cries everyday thinking about Bing Xuan," Kris wrote on TikTok.

Remembering his younger brother

On why he decided to share the story on TikTok, Kris explained that he wanted people to know about what happened to his younger brother.

"Some of his friends may still miss him, and some people who knew him may not even know what happened to him," he remarked.

He also hoped that anyone who came across Chua's story will realise "just how unpredictable life can be":

"We often think there will always be another dinner together, another conversation, another trip, or another opportunity to tell someone we love them. But sometimes, without any warning, that opportunity is taken away.

"If Bing Xuan’s story can make even one person go home and appreciate their parents, siblings, partner or friends a little more, then I believe something meaningful has come from sharing his story."

Tributes have been left on the TikTok posts by those who knew the 26-year-old.

One user, who said he knew Chua's from Basic Military Training, remembered the "nice conversations" they shared.

"He was a nice presence in our big bunk," the user wrote.

"Got to know him in NS and was such a joy to be around. Terribly sad that he's gone so soon," another user wrote.