‘I didn’t know what injuries she sustained’: Mum whose daughter, 5, was run over by van in 2023

SINGAPORE – Rena (not her real name) was about to cook dinner when her helper called to say her five-year-old daughter had been run over by a van.

The accident happened in 2023, when Serene (not her real name) and the helper were on their way home from ballet class one evening.

The girl was pinned under the vehicle and suffered several injuries, including a severe fracture to her left leg. The helper suffered scrapes and was taken to hospital by Rena’s husband.

Statistics show that the number of people injured on Singapore’s roads increased from 9,342 in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025.

Traffic deaths hit a 10-year high in 2025, with 149 killed, compared with 141 in 2016. There were 142 deaths in 2024.

Given the dire situation on the roads, The Straits Times will be running a series of stories in the coming months to call on all road users to be more careful.

Rena, who accompanied Serene to hospital in the ambulance, recalled feeling frightened when she saw her daughter closing her eyes.

The 42-year-old, who also has an older son, said: “I had to keep speaking to her to make sure she was not losing consciousness because I didn’t know exactly what injuries she had sustained.”

Dr Ivy Ang, consultant at the Children’s Emergency, Department of Paediatrics, Khoo Teck Puat – National University Children’s Medical Institute at the National University Hospital, was one of the doctors involved in Serene’s acute care. 

Said Dr Ang, who is also the paediatric lead for the National University Centre for Trauma: “Her tibia (the shin bone) was clearly deformed, indicating a serious fracture. She was in an awkward position because of the way the van had rolled over her, which made initial assessment more challenging.

“We administered pain relief and carefully reduced the fracture to improve her comfort. At the same time, we quickly assessed for potentially life-threatening injuries, such as trauma to the brain, spine and internal organs. Fortunately, she did not sustain any of these.”

To secure the shin bone, doctors inserted pins into Serene’s left leg. She was in a wheelchair for two months and underwent six months of physiotherapy.

Mental toll

Caring for her daughter took a mental and emotional toll on Rena, especially when she saw Serene screaming in pain at the hospital when the medicine wore off.

“It was tiring and mentally exhausting. It took me a long time to recover from this episode,” said Rena, who postponed her job search for six months to care for Serene.

Rena said she would often jolt awake in the middle of the night from nightmares about the accident. To this day, she cannot bear to watch video footage of it. She said Serene does not remember much about the incident.

While they do not discuss it, Rena talks about road safety with Serene, reminding her to keep a lookout for cars before crossing the road.

The police said the accident involving a van driver and two pedestrians occurred at about 7.10pm and that two female pedestrians were taken to hospital.

The 48-year-old van driver is assisting with investigations.

Drawing from her experience in the Children’s Emergency, Dr Ang highlighted two common scenarios that can lead to similar accidents happening. The first involves young children suddenly dashing across the road.

Because of their small stature, they may be harder for motorists to see, particularly when vehicles are turning or during low-light conditions at night, resulting in collisions.

The second scenario involves children crossing in front of large vehicles such as buses. These vehicles can obstruct the view of both the child and oncoming motorists, creating dangerous blind spots that significantly increase the risk of an accident.

In January 2024, a four-year-old girl died after she was run over by a car in River Valley.

A coroner said the girl, who was only 1m tall, was completely obscured by a stationary vehicle in the first lane as the car turned into the other lane.

In 2013, two brothers, aged seven and 13, were killed after they were run over by a cement truck in Tampines while on the way home.

The driver had failed to keep a proper lookout when he made a left turn from Tampines Avenue 9 into Tampines Street 45. The pedestrian light had been in the boys’ favour.

Dr Ang emphasised that while not all accidents can be avoided, there are practical steps to take to help reduce risk.

First, children’s caregivers are encouraged to hold the child’s hand when crossing roads, and in carparks.

They should avoid crossing roads near large vehicles, where visibility might be limited.

Caregivers should also teach children to make themselves more noticeable to drivers by raising their hands when crossing roads.