NSF died of heatstroke, with no foul play: Coroner

19-year-old had no medical history which predisposed him to heatstroke

Pallbearers carrying the coffin of full-time national serviceman Dave Lee Han Xuan (above, right) into the service hall at Mandai Crematorium in May 2018. CFC Lee died 12 days after being admitted to hospital for heatstroke. ST FILE PHOTOS
Pallbearers carrying the coffin of full-time national serviceman Dave Lee Han Xuan (above) into the service hall at Mandai Crematorium in May 2018. ST FILE PHOTO
Pallbearers carrying the coffin of full-time national serviceman Dave Lee Han Xuan (above, right) into the service hall at Mandai Crematorium in May 2018. CFC Lee died 12 days after being admitted to hospital for heatstroke. ST FILE PHOTOS
CFC Lee died 12 days after being admitted to hospital for heatstroke. ST FILE PHOTO

The State Coroner has found that full-time national serviceman (NSF) Dave Lee Han Xuan, 19, died of heatstroke in 2018 and that there was no basis to suspect foul play in the case.

Giving her findings yesterday following an inquiry, State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam also said he had no medical history which predisposed him to heatstroke.

Corporal First Class (CFC) Lee, who was a guardsman from the 1st Battalion Singapore Guards, collapsed after completing an 8km fast march at Bedok Camp on April 18 that year.

Investigations later revealed that he was evacuated to a medical centre only about 40 minutes after he was seen to be suffering from signs of heat injury.

This delay in the evacuation was a contributing factor in CFC Lee's death, the court was told in another hearing earlier this year.

He was later admitted to Changi General Hospital (CGH) and died 12 days later.

Station Inspector (SI) Aliden Hamad, who conducted police investigations into the NSF's death, testified earlier that CFC Lee started the fast march at 6.45am and was initially observed to be walking and running normally.

SI Aliden added that the NSF was, however, seen to be having difficulty walking and speaking after crossing the finish line at 8.25am.

CFC Lee was also observed to be incoherent, breathing heavily and drooling from the mouth.

His load-bearing vest was then taken off and his shirt unbuttoned. Ice packs were then applied to his neck, armpit and groin, and water sprayed on his face.

Singapore Armed Forces captain Tan Baoshu, 33, who was the supervising officer of the fast march, rejected suggestions from other army personnel to evacuate the NSF to the camp's medical centre, saying that the soldier was only suffering from physical exhaustion and would recover after resting.

Tan ordered CFC Lee to be evacuated only much later and the NSF arrived at the camp's medical centre at around 9.05am.

Despite receiving treatment at the centre and later at CGH, CFC Lee's condition deteriorated and he eventually died.

Dr Kenneth Heng, a senior consultant in the emergency department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, testified that evacuating CFC Lee to the medical centre should have been the priority and that a 40-minute delay was "too long".

Tan was charged at the State Courts in October 2018 with offences including causing death by performing a rash act. He was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal in January last year, after he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He died the following month.

CFC Lee's mother, Madam Jasmine Yeo, who was present in the coroner's court yesterday, told reporters later that the lapses were "totally unforgivable".

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 28, 2021, with the headline NSF died of heatstroke, with no foul play: Coroner. Subscribe