Woman, 25, killed in Telok Ayer accident, planned to marry fiancé with flat on the way

The 25-year-old woman, who died six days after she was hit by a car at Amoy Street, had recently been promoted at work, and was planning to get married next year.

She and her fiancé, engaged for nearly five years, had secured a BTO flat.

At about 12:45am on Oct. 17, Tan Mei Zhen was outside Birds of a Feather at Amoy Street, where she worked at, waiting for her Grab ride home when she was tragically struck, Stomp reported.

The accident involved three cars, one of which crashed into a nearby hoarding.

A 37-year-old woman who drove one of the cars was arrested for drink driving.

Tan, along with her manager whom she was waiting with, were conscious when they were taken to the hospital.

She was in emergency surgery for nearly 13 hours, and later pronounced brain dead.

She passed away on Oct. 23.

No time to react

Tan's fiancé had learnt what happened from another manager at the restaurant who was not involved in the accident.

He recalled feeling shocked and stunned by the sudden news.

"Her manager said their Grab ride was only a minute away when this car suddenly appeared out of nowhere," he told Stomp.

"They had no space, or rather, no reaction time at all to move anywhere. The impact was very fast and very big."

At the hospital, when the family was allowed to see her, she was put fully on life support as her condition was very critical.

The sudden tragedy was hard for her family to bear.

Tan had been on the phone with them just minutes before the accident, telling her father she had the next day off work.

Cheerful and hard-working

Tan had eight siblings, who described her as a cheerful person who took good care of her family.

They shared that despite her own financial struggles, she would work hard to earn money instead of asking her parents for it, and paid her own school fees.

She would also make sure to give money to her parents.

"She spent all her time taking care of our family and working," Tan's brother said, crying.

"Just like that, she’s gone at 25. It’s not fair."

Tan's manager similarly told Shin Min Daily News that she was friendly and hard-working.

She had been working nearly four years at the restaurant, starting out as an intern, he shared. She received a promotion just about two months ago.

Her colleagues, who visited her in hospital, were deeply sad to hear of her death.

Flowers were left for Tan at the scene of the accident.

Seeking justice

Her family hopes there will be justice and that the offence of drink driving will be taken seriously, they told Stomp.

First-time offenders convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol may be fined between S$2,000 and S$10,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both.

In the case of a subsequent conviction, the offence carries a fine ranging from S$5,000 to S$20,000, and a mandatory jail term of up to two years.

Tan's siblings questioned the appropriateness of this penalty.

"Is my sister’s life worth only a sentence of two or three years?" they asked.

The driver did not stop

According to Tan's manager, the female driver who was arrested had first crashed into a car parked outside the restaurant before hitting Tan and her other manager.

He told Shin Min that the female driver did not stop afterwards, but continued going fast towards the main road and then onto the sidewalk across from it.

The car subsequently hit another car, and eventually hit a hoarding at a nearby building.

According to a video of the incident, a driver believed to be among the victims went up to the female driver in anger, Shin Min reported.

She apologised to him and repeatedly said, "This is all my fault."

Police investigations are ongoing.