http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,190526,00.html?
Boy run over by truck at zebra crossing
Student, 9, had walked ahead of granny
By Chong Shin Yen
January 22, 2009
FATAL: The truck driver (above) showing where Li Yun (below) was lying after he was knocked down. PICTURES: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
HE was impatient about having to wait 20 minutes for his younger brother to finish his classes.
So Li Yun, 9, told his grandmother that he wanted to go home first so that he could read his books.
She agreed, but less than a minute later, the Primary 4 schoolboy was run over by a tipper truck right before her eyes on Monday.
He died in hospital an hour later.
The boy's father, Mr Li Changrun, said: 'I don't understand why he made the request that day. Usually, he would wait for his brother so that they can all go home together.
'If only he had waited for just 20 minutes, this might not have happened.'
Mr Li, 42, a life sciences researcher, told The New Paper that his mother-in-law had gone to fetch his daughter, 12, and Li Yun from Pei Tong Primary School on Monday afternoon, as she always did.
The trio then walked to Block 319, Clementi Avenue 4, to wait for the siblings' younger brother, 5, to finish his kindergarten classes.
Mr Li said that soon after they reached the kindergarten at about 4.30pm, Li Yun told his grandmother, 67, that he wanted to go home on his own.
'My mother-in-law was fine with it as our flat in Clementi West Street 2 was only three bus stops away,' he said in Mandarin.
'She left my daughter at the kindergarten and walked Li Yun to the bus interchange so that he could take a bus home.'
While they were crossing the zebra crossing on the slip road along Clementi Avenue 4, Li Yun was knocked down by a lorry.
He was walking a few metres ahead of his grandmother and had almost reached the end of the zebra crossing when the accident happened.
Serious injuries
PICTURE: LIANHE WANBAO
Mr Li said that Li Yun suffered multiple injuries, especially on his lower body and legs. His right foot was also crushed.
The boy was still conscious but bleeding badly. His grandmother broke down and craddled him while they waited for the ambulance.
Mr Li, who was at work, received a call from the police informing him of the accident. He rushed to the National University Hospital, but his son had died.
'My mother-in-law told me that the accident happened very fast and she could not react fast enough to pull Li Yun back,' said Mr Li.
'She walks slower than him and was not holding his hand when they were crossing the road. She has been reproaching herself since the accident and is still traumatised.'
Li Yun's sister took her younger brother home on her own after their grandmother failed to return to the kindergarten.
Mr Li, who is from Nanjing, China, came to Singapore in 1997. His three children were born here and he is now a Singaporean.
Mr Li said that Li Yun was a quiet boy who loved reading books and comics.
He said: 'The school year had only just begun and he had already finished reading all his Primary Four textbooks.'
Mr Li added that Li Yun's results were among the top 25 per cent of his cohort last year. 'He was never a cause of worry for us. I even had hopes of him following in my footsteps and becoming a science researcher in future.'
He said that his younger son has been asking for Li Yun but the family has kept the news of his death from him.
Mr Li said: 'My younger son is very close to Li Yun. The two boys will play and go everywhere together.
'I've told him that his brother is sick and is in hospital. I don't know how he will react if he's told that he can no longer see his brother again.'
A police spokesman said that the lorry driver, a man in his 60s, was arrested and released on bail pending investigations.
The driver told Shin Min Daily News that he had checked to make sure there was no one at the zebra crossing before he drove on.
Then he felt his rear tyres running over 'something', so he stopped to check.
Crying in pain
Said the driver: 'I got down from the truck and saw the boy in between my wheels. He was bleeding profusely and was crying in pain.
'The boy's grandmother was carrying him in her arms and I quickly called for an ambulance.'
Li Yun's parents collected his body from the mortuary yesterday and he was cremated in the evening.
Police are appealing for witnesses to call 1800-255-000.
Just last week, two other students were seriously injured when they were hit by a van while on a pedestrian crossing.
Primary 5 student Leif Lieow, 10, and Primary 3 student Tan Heng Joo, 8, were walking home together on 15 Jan when the accident happened along Old Airport Road.