A 25-year-old woman who was struck by a car while waiting for her Grab ride in Telok Ayer has died, leaving behind a fiancé she had planned to marry next year and a family devastated by her sudden passing.
Tan Mei Zhen passed away on Oct 23, six days after the accident along Amoy Street. She had recently received a promotion at work and had been preparing for the next chapter of her life with her fiancé, whom she had been engaged to for nearly five years.
The couple had also secured a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat, with their wedding planned for next year.
Grab Ride Was Just A Minute Away
The accident happened at around 12.45am on Oct 17, when Tan was waiting outside Birds of a Feather, the restaurant where she worked, for her Grab ride home.
She was accompanied by her manager when a car suddenly struck them. The collision involved three cars, with one vehicle eventually crashing into a nearby construction hoarding.
A 37-year-old female driver was arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
Tan and her manager were conscious when they were taken to hospital. However, Tan suffered critical injuries and underwent emergency surgery lasting nearly 13 hours before she was later declared brain dead.
According to her fiancé, he first learnt about the accident from another restaurant manager who was not involved in the collision.
He told Stomp that the news left him shocked, particularly after learning that the two victims had little opportunity to get out of the way.
Their Grab ride was reportedly just a minute away when the car appeared, leaving them with almost no time to react before the impact.
Tan’s family was also struggling to come to terms with the tragedy. She had spoken to her family over the phone just minutes before the accident, telling her father that she would have the following day off work.
Family Remembers Her As A Caring Daughter And Sister
Tan came from a family of nine children and was remembered by her siblings as someone cheerful who consistently looked after her loved ones.
Despite facing financial difficulties of her own, she worked hard to support herself instead of relying on her parents. She even paid her own school fees and made a point of giving money to her parents.
Her brother was overcome with grief when speaking about her sudden death, saying that she had devoted much of her time to working and caring for the family.
Her colleagues also remembered her as a friendly and hardworking person.
According to her manager, Tan had spent nearly four years working at the rest